As Late Summer Settles in, Blackcurrant Bushes Hang with Inky Clusters of Fruit That Almost Beg to Be Turned into Jam and Crumble.

Heavy Crops Of Vitamin‑Packed Berries

Blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum) are famously rich in vitamin C, and a single established bush can produce an impressive crop of berries each summer. The fruit forms in long, dangling strings, ripening from green through deep purple to almost black, with a sharp, intense flavour that works beautifully in cordials, jams, jellies and puddings. In a typical Cambridgeshire garden, a small run of blackcurrant bushes can easily supply a family with enough fruit for fresh eating, freezing and preserving. Once you’ve tasted homemade blackcurrant jam or cordial, it’s hard to go back to supermarket versions.

  • Heavy Crops Of Vitamin‑Packed Berries
  • Compact Bushes That Suit Real‑World Gardens
  • Tough, Hardy And Well‑Suited To Cool, Moist Climates

Blackcurrant at a Glance:

Common name: Blackcurrant

Latin name: Ribes nigrum

Size in UK gardens: Typically about 1.2–1.5m tall and wide when mature, though growth varies by variety and pruning.

Best position: A sunny, reasonably sheltered spot; will tolerate light shade, but best yields and sweetest fruit come in full sun.

Soil: Fertile, moisture‑retentive but well‑drained soil; happiest in good loam or improved clay with plenty of organic matter. In pots, use a rich, loam‑based compost.

Flowering time: Modest, green‑white flowers in spring; fruit ripens from early to mid‑summer onwards depending on variety and local climate.

Fragrance: Leaves and berries have a strong, distinctive blackcurrant scent when crushed; flowers are only lightly scented.

Hardiness: Fully hardy across the UK once established.

Care level: Moderate – straightforward once you understand the pruning and keep up with watering and mulching.
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Home-grown, backed by local specialists.

The Simpson’s team raises the majority of our trees here at the nursery. For varieties outside our own production, we work with independent local growers we trust - all chosen for UK climate suitability.

Blackcurrant Care at a Glance:

Planting time: As container‑grown plants, blackcurrants can be planted in most months when the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged; however, late autumn and early spring are often easiest for root establishment and for working the ground comfortably.

Watering: Water regularly in the first couple of years, and during dry spells thereafter, particularly from flowering through to fruit swell. Soil should stay evenly moist rather than swinging between very dry and very wet.

Feeding: Each spring, mulch generously around the base with compost or well‑rotted manure, and on poorer soils add a balanced fertiliser to support strong growth and good crops. In containers, use a slow‑release feed and top up with liquid feeds in the growing season.

Pruning: Blackcurrants fruit best on younger wood. Each winter, remove some of the oldest, darkest stems at the base and encourage new shoots from low down, aiming for an open, well‑spaced stool of young canes.

Winter: In the ground, blackcurrants usually need no special winter protection beyond their mulch. Container plants may appreciate being moved to a slightly more sheltered spot in the coldest weather to protect their roots.

Varieties We Usually Stock

Availability is always changing, so please check with us if you have a particular variety in mind.

Ribes ‘Ben Connan’

Ribes ‘Ben Lomond’

Ribes ‘Ben Nevis’

Ribes ‘Ben Sarek’

A compact blackcurrant that’s ideal for smaller gardens, giving generous crops of large, flavour-packed berries. It’s perfect in a fruit cage or along a sunny border edge, and the fruit is excellent for cordials, jams and freezing. A very practical choice when you want good yields without a big plant.

A classic, reliable blackcurrant with heavy crops of richly flavoured fruit—excellent for cooking, juicing and preserving. It’s a solid choice for anyone who wants dependable harvests year after year, and it fits nicely into a traditional fruit garden or allotment-style plot where productivity matters.

A vigorous blackcurrant variety that produces good, generous yields of large berries with a strong, classic flavour. It’s a great choice if you want plenty of fruit for the freezer and the jam pan, and it suits a productive garden where you’re aiming for regular, worthwhile harvests.

A wonderfully compact blackcurrant, perfect for pots, small gardens and tighter fruit patches, yet still capable of producing a very respectable crop. The berries are rich and full-flavoured, making it ideal for cooking and preserving. A great “small space, big reward” variety.

Ribes ‘Titania’

Ribes ‘Wellington XXX’

A robust blackcurrant with reliable cropping and good-quality fruit, making it an excellent all-round choice for the home garden. The berries have that proper blackcurrant depth, ideal for jam, juice and freezing, and the plant has a strong, productive habit that suits a fruit cage or open ground.

A traditional blackcurrant variety with a classic, old-fashioned feel—grown for strong flavour and good yields, especially for the kitchen. Ideal if you like heritage fruit varieties and want berries for jams, cordials and baking. A solid choice for a productive garden with a bit of nostalgia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – blackcurrants are one of the more forgiving soft fruits, and a very good choice if you’re just starting out. They aren’t fussy about fancy training systems; a simple bush form is fine. As long as you give them a reasonably fertile, moisture‑retentive soil, a sunny or lightly shaded position, and keep up with watering in dry spells, they tend to reward you well. The main bit to learn is the pruning – taking out some of the oldest stems each winter so new shoots can replace them – but once you’ve done it once or twice it quickly becomes second nature.

You can grow blackcurrants in containers, provided you choose a large pot and keep on top of watering and feeding. Use a loam‑based compost in something at least 40cm across and deep, and pick a compact variety if you can. Stand the pot in a sunny, fairly sheltered spot – a Cambridgeshire patio or courtyard is often ideal – and give regular deep waterings in summer so the compost never dries out completely. A slow‑release feed in spring plus a high‑potash liquid feed during the growing season will help support good crops. Yields in pots are often a little lower than in the ground, but still very worthwhile.

The simplest way to remember blackcurrant pruning is this: fruit is best on one‑ and two‑year‑old wood. In late winter or early spring, look for the oldest, darkest stems (often thicker and more gnarled) and cut out roughly a third of these at ground level, along with any weak or very low, sprawling shoots. Leave a framework of younger stems of different ages, and encourage new shoots from the base by planting a little deeper and mulching well. Done each year, this rolling renewal keeps the bush open, manageable and productive without complicated shaping.

Blackcurrants will tolerate light shade, and in very hot, inland gardens a bit of dappled shade can even help prevent scorching. However, for the best yields and sweetest fruit, a sunny site is definitely an advantage. In terms of frost, the bushes themselves are hardy and cope well with normal winters; the main vulnerability is the blossom. A sharp late frost at flowering time can reduce that year’s crop, particularly in obvious frost pockets. Choosing a site with a little air movement, away from the very lowest parts of the garden, and being ready with fleece on forecast frosty nights can help protect the flowers and keep your crop on track.