Growing guide

How to grow ribes

Ribes are easy to grow spring flowering shrubs, providing a valuable nectar source for foraging bees early in the year. These undemanding shrubs are useful in a shrub border, combined with spring bulbs and perennials, or they can also be grown as a loose informal hedge. Most Ribes species are decidious having leaves that colour well before falling in winter.

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Quick facts

  • Tough and reliable early-flowering shrub
  • Clusters of tubular or bell like flowers borne in abundance in spring
  • Leaves are often lobed and have a distinct blackcurrant smell when rubbed
  • Grown in a row they can make a spectacular spring flowering hedge
  • Flowers available in pink, red, white and yellow depending on species or cultivar
  • Blackcurrants, redcurrants, whitecurrants and gooseberries are all members of the Ribes genus grown for their edible berries
  • Prune immediately after flowering

All you need to know

Before you get started
Planting
Ongoing care
Pruning and training
Propagating
Problems
While we think all this information will be helpful to you, we always recommend to read the instruction labels on your plants.

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