As well as growing your cordon red currant and cordon white currant as traditional Redcurrant bushes, you might like to consider growing them as cordons. With a planting distance of just 18", compared to 4' for a bush, they are much more space economical and if grown against a wall, they are easier to net against birds too. Pruning is simple and whilst crops inevitably do not compare to a full grown bush, they are still very productive, especially considering the space they take up.
Redcurrant can yield in the first season.
Red and whitecurrants do not need the hard pruning that is recommended for Blackcurants and a framework of growth is left in place. Initially the leaders [main stems] can be shortened by up to one third to any outwardly facing bud. This has the effect of keeping the centre of the bush more open which makes the foliage less prone to disease and also makes harvesting easier. You will find the fruiting trusses in the centre of the bush will ripen more readily, and will be sweeter as a result of this type of pruning. This pruning should be done soon after planting. The following winter leading branches of the Redcurrant can further be shortened to encourage side[fruit bearing] laterals. At this stage any unwanted low branches can also be removed at their base.
By the third year you should have a well shaped and nicely branched bush. From now on the only attention is to continually shorten longer/main branches and remove any that are causing congestion, diseased, or broken.
A new, very early heavy cropping redcurrant with large evenly spaced strings of attractive shiny red berries. Lovely sweet flavour, the fruits are ideal for all purposes. A healthy reliable cropper which has cropped consistently...
An outstanding new variety which is unique as the first to be released from an entirely new breeding programme involving a previously unused parent. This species, Ribes Longeracemosum, has contributed Redpolls enormously long fruiting strings...
A new variety of redcurrant from East Malling Research Station, quite a breakthrough in research as Redstart is the first variety raised in this country for more years than we care to remember! Redstart was,...
Very early season. A strong grower and reliable cropper in all districts. Long bunches of very large crimson berries, ideal for all purposes. This variety consistently provides us with a heavy crop of quality fruit....
Mid-season. An upright, moderately vigorous grower, providing a heavy crop. The fruit is borne in long trusses and is large, sweet and juicy....
A mid-season variety with long trusses of large deep red fruit of superb quality and flavour, A very heavy crop of exhibition standard, flowers late reducing the risk of spring frosts....
An interesting variety that arose as an open pollinated seedling that displays excellent disease reisistance; it has proven free of mildew, botrytis and leaf spot.
A most pleasing grower but vigorous and bushy; when grown well...
Probably the rarest variety in our collection, this ancient Redcurrant variety arose in Italy in the mid 1800's.
It has faults and merits so is best suited to the enthusiast.
A vigorous though upright growing bush, the...
An old variety re-introduced. Large clusters of brilliant berries. Good flavour, very early. Prone to wind damage....
One of the first to ripen, providing a very large crop of large, bright fruits, sweet and juicy, makes a large bush, sometimes too large on the better soils. Best grown as a cordon....
A little known variety from the Czeck Republic that is super-hardy and good for frosty areas. The fruits ripen to a pleasing pink red and are held on well filled strigs.
The bush is upright, bushy...
This is an old historic cultivar that was briefly popular commercially many years ago. It remains a good variety for garden growing; it is prolific and ripens it's berries in a concentrated flush of decadent...
A variety from Scotland with attractive dark fruits which ripen late in the season.
...Not quite Perfection as thie variety can be susceptable to rust, but the berries certainly have a sweet and lovely flavour and are full of juice. They will keep several days when picked and have...
White Versailles has been the most popular white currant for many, many years but this red version is seldom seen. It benefits from the same sweet, mild taste and the quality berries ripen evenly on...
A new heavy yielding mid season variety from Europe which we introduced to selected customers only last season. Initial reports are already very encouraging and we feel this variety deserves general release. Rednose forms a...
Released at the same time as 'Redpoll' but overshadowed by that variety at the time, Redwing seems to have all but disappeared.
It is a similar later ripening variety with handsome long trusses of very dark...
A heavy cropper, providing good flavoured, quality fruit. In trials this variety has proved best in windy, exposed sites as the bush is not so prone to loss of the side shoots in strong winds....
A very good variety for frosty areas as the flowers develop late and also a good season extending variety with quality and yield.
Late blooming, late to ripen. Very good productivity. Moderately to vigorously growing variety...
A Dutch variety with a good flavour. In our trials, Rovada has produced exceptionally heavy crops in late July, early August. This variety could prove to he the heaviest cropping of all varieties....
Used to be a prevalent variety many years ago but seems to have been difficult to obtain, especially in the genuine form.
Wilsons Long Bunch is aptly named because the handsome fruiting strigs can achieve great...