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Fruit EdibleShrubs

Ribes nigrum 'Big Ben'PBR (B)
  • RHS AGM
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

blackcurrant 'Big Ben'

An upright blackcurrant bush for culinary or dessert use, to 1.5m in height. Flowers insignificant ,white; produces a sizeable crop of large sweet shiny black fruit, self-fertile, early season

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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
Clay
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained
pH
Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring White Green
Summer Green Black
Autumn Green
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
Aspect

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

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

Grow as a stooled bush. Mulch with well rotted manure or compost. Add a general fertilizer and additional nitrogen if necessary, see our Blackcurrant page for more growing tips

Propagation

Propagate by hardwood cuttings

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

Renewal pruning in the dormant season

Pests

May be susceptible to gall mites, gall midges, aphids and reversion

Diseases

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

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