BLACKCURRANTS - VARIETIES WITH SPECIAL QUALITIES

NEW BLACKCURRANT TITANIA

This newly offered Swedish variety could turn out to be the most frost resistant Blackcurrant of all and also has several other fine characteristics which make it a highly desirable garden variety. Titania also has useful disease resistance, including powdery mildew and rust. The individual berries are very large and handsome with a high juice content and plenty of flavour. They ripen very evenly on the string and keep well in perfect condition for some time on the bush. Ripening from early July, they are frequently still in crop by early August giving titania a very long season. The berries excel for juicing as well as pies, preserves, freezing and all other purposes. Because the fruits are so large, Titania will surely find success on the Showbench as well as admiration in the kitchen - the total yield is very high, the crop produced on a vigorous but upright bush. This is the first season we have stocks available for sale and numbers are limited. Early ordering advisable.

*GOLIATH

An old variety, grown since before 1847, but long since almost disappeared. We are very pleased to be able to offer this superb old variety that excels for dessert, pies and preserve use. The bushes are medium sized and very erect with well spaced branches, and the fruits are normally produced on short trusses with very large sized berries of superb exhibition quality. A true Goliath among blackcurrants. Cropping mid-season, the fruits ripen evenly and hold on the bush well,. giving a good crop of very high quality. The flavour is quite superb. Sweet, luscious, thin skinned fruits that are always bound to give pleasure. Goliath is a very old variety and is thought to be synonymous with the even older varieties Victoria and Edina. After many years' searching, we finally located stock of this old variety in Europe and our propagations now enable us to offer this variety again. A superb variety for garden culture, and a must for the connoisseur. Grown from European certified stock.

BOSCOOP GIANT

A vigorous, slightly spreading bush, that is only a moderate cropper but is the earliest to ripen. Usually produces its fruits in single trusses with 8-10 large sweet fruits per truss. Always popular but susceptible to frosts in some areas. Propagated from nuclear cuttings.

*SILVERGIETER'S ZWARTE

An old variety from Europe with a terrible name. It is very similar to the above variety Boscoop Giant with all the advantages of the early crop. It is, however, much less susceptible to frost. Another old variety with an exceptional merit. Propagated from European certified stock.

BLACKDOWN

Heavy crops in most seasons. Large, sweet fruits. Very resistant to Mildew.

LAXTON GIANT

An early variety. The sweet, juicy fruits are very large and of dessert quality. A favourite for the exhibitor, relatively disease resistant. Ripening early the fruits can be up to cherry size and ready for picking in late June. Does best in good soil.

SEABROOK'S BLACK

Early/mid-season, a compact, upright bush with medium sized fruits, borne in heavy clusters, flowers late. Good resistance to Big Bud. Introduced by Seabrooks in 1913. Practically identical to the old French black.

THE RAVEN

Very large, sweet fruit of even size; early/mid season crop. One of the largest bushes of all, but with an open nature and strong stems. The early flowers are well protected by the foliage. Outstanding for juice and flavouring, excellent exhibition variety.

WELLINGTON XXX

A heavy yielding early/mid-season variety, providing large fruits of excellent quality and flavour. Vigorous grower, with a spreading habit. Raised by East Malling Research Station and introduced in 1927.

BALDWIN

A mid-late season variety, giving a heavy crop of medium to large fruit of good flavour. A compact bush of good cropping habit, very high in Vitamin C. The standard blackcurrant 11 variety to which all others are compared SUPERIOR HILLTOP STRAIN. A very old variety of unknown origin. Ministry certified.

BLACK REWARD

A variety from the Netherlands, raised from a seedling of a local Dutch variety. The bush is large and produces a very heavy crop of large berries. Flowers are produced 7-10 days later than Baldwin and, because of this later flowering characteristic, give a more consistent yield. The fruits are borne on short strings and have an excellent flavour. They are suitable for all purposes and are normally ready for picking in late July but can be slightly earlier. Black Reward has done very well in trials in the United Kingdom so far, and produced far better results than the other continental varieties, Tenah and Tsema. Like all of the continental varieties its disadvantage lies in its susceptibility to Mildew, but where a spray programme is carried out, this is not a problem. Grown from nuclear stock cuttings.

WESTWICK CHOICE

Late season variety. Vigorous, compact bush, excellent for exhibition. The fruit is large, firm and sweet. A superb variety, but somewhat variable in growth. Grown from nuclear stock cuttings.

PRICES ALL VARIETIES

1 plant £7.50
2 plants £14.20

WE ALSO HAVE AVAILABLE THE FOLLOWING OLD VARIETIES: MENDIP CROSS, TOR CROSS. GREEN'S BLACK, MALVERN CROSS, COTSWOLD CROSS, AMOS BLACK, DANIELS SEPTEMBER WALLACE SEEDLING and BLACKSMITH.

HALF STANDARD BLACKCURRANT ‘TITANIA’

And the first time we have ever offered a half standard Blackcurrant! The honour simply must go to Titania. An attractive formal feature for the kitchen garden, fruit garden, potager or ornamental area.
Price £19.95 limited numbers.

JOSTABERRY

A recent introduction from Holland that is becoming rather popular. The jostaberry is a blackcurrant x gooseberry hybrid, with fruits that resemble a large blackcurrant. Pleasant flavour and quite heavy cropping. Very good resistance to Mildew. The growth is like a strong growing blackcurrant with similar leaves and stems. Plant 6' apart, if you have difficulty growing blackcurrants then this variety is a must for its Mildew resistance.
£7.50 each
2 plants £14.95