Ribes × culverwellii (F)

Synonyms

Rubus × culverwellii

Shrubs

Buy this from Plant Nurseries
9 Suppliers

An upright, thornless shrub, up to around 1.8m high, with lobed and toothed green leaves, and dark purple, edible berries in summer. This hybrid was an early direct cross between blackcurrant and gooseberry, and resulted in variable plants, some of which had limited fruiting capacity. The name is often misapplied to more modern, complex and high yield hybrids commonly known as jostaberries

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1.5-2.5 metres

Max Spread

1-1.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 5–10 years
Max Spread: 1-1.5 metres
Max Height: 1.5-2.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: South–facing or West–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): H5

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Grossulariaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Columnar upright, 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: Correct
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: This genus produces fruit, but not necessarily edible fruit

How to Grow

Cultivation

Tolerates a range of conditions but thrives in a sunny site with well-drained but moisture-retentive soil. Grow as blackcurrants, see blackcurrant cultivation for more detailed advice

Propagation

Propagate by hardwood cuttings in the dormant season

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Edible fruit

Pruning

Prune sparingly when young; replacement prune from year 3 onwards, removing some old stems to encourage new growth from the base

Pests

May be susceptible to birds eating fruits

Diseases

Generally disease-free, with some resistance to gooseberry leaf spot and gooseberry mildew