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Fruit EdibleShrubs

Ribes 'Ben Hope' (B)
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

blackcurrant 'Ben Hope'

An upright blackcurrant bush for culinary or dessert use, growing to 1.5m in height. A late season cultivar, producing long strings of medium sized blackcurrants with good flavour. Ripens late July – early August. Self fertile.

Synonyms
Ribes nigrum 'Ben Hope'

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Size
Ultimate height
1–1.5 metres
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
1–1.5 metres
Growing conditions
Chalk
Loam
Sand
Clay
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Green Green
Summer Green Green Black
Autumn Yellow
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade
Aspect

South–facing or West–facing or East–facing or North–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H6
Botanical details
Family
Grossulariaceae
Native to the UK
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Genus

Ribes can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs, sometimes spiny, with simple, usually palmately lobed leaves and small tubular or bell-shaped, solitary or racemose flowers borne in spring or summer, followed by juicy, sometimes edible berries

Name status

Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Blackcurrants prefer a sunny site with well-drained but moisture-retentive soil, but will cope in most other soil conditions and tolerate light shade. Mulch annually with well-rotted manure or compost and apply a general purpose fertiliser in spring. Please see our blackcurrant cultivation page for more growing tips.

Propagation

Propagate by hardwood cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Edible fruit
Pruning

Prune in winter. Blackcurrants fruit best on younger wood so aim to remove up to one quarter of the oldest stems at ground level to encourage new growth from the base.

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, blackcurrant gall midge, pigeons and blackcurrant big bud mite

Diseases

May be susceptible to a leaf spot, powdery mildews, coral spot and sometimes honey fungus

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