Ribes uva-crispa 'Greenfinch' (C)

RHS Plant Profile
gooseberry 'Greenfinch'

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gooseberry 'Greenfinch' RHS 1999

Synonyms

Ribes uva-crispa var. reclinatum 'Greenfinch'

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Fruit Edible Shrubs
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A compact bush which produces green fruits and that has some resistance to mildew and leaf spot. It crops mid season and is similar to 'Careless'. A good culinary variety

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1-1.5 metres

Max Spread

1-1.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
1-1.5 metres
Max Height
1-1.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
South–facing or North–facing or West–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H6

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Grossulariaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
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
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea

Blackcurrants suitable for culinary use have a tart flavour and are best cooked or made into a puree

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow gooseberries in a moist but well-drained soil that has been improved with organic matter. Mildly alkaline (chalky) soils are tolerated. They can be grown as goblet-shaped bushes or cordons. Water well as fruits swell and keep the base of the plants weed and grass-free. Further gooseberry cultivation advice

Propagation

Propagate by hardwood cuttings in winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Edible fruit

Pruning

Prune gooseberries in winter and summer

Pests

May be susceptible to gooseberry sawfly, capsid bug, birds, squirrels and aphids

Diseases

May be susceptible to American gooseberry mildew and gooseberry leaf spot