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Shrubs

Ribes sanguineum 'Elkington's White'

flowering currant 'Elkington's White'

A deciduous, thornless shrub with an upright habit. Leaves have round lobes and corrugated texture, rich green in colour and slightly aromatic. In spring pendant clusters of white tubular flowers cover the shrub, followed by bunches of small black/blue fruit, prefect for the birds

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Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

1.5–2.5 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained, Moist but well–drained

pH

Neutral, Alkaline, Acid

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

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

Exposure

Exposed or 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)

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

How to grow

Cultivation

Easy to grow in moderately fertile well-drained soil in full sun. Useful for informal hedging

Propagation

Propagate by hardwood cuttings in winter

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
City and courtyard gardens
Flower borders and beds
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Pruning group 2 or Pruning group 13 if wall-trained, in late summer; trim hedges after flowering

Pests

May be susceptible to scale insects, gall mites, gall midge and aphids

Diseases

May be susceptible to currant leaf spot, powdery mildews, coral spot, rust diseases and sometimes honey fungus

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