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Expertly Grown in the UK
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autumn-sale

'Ben Nevis' Blackcurrant Bush

Laughs in the face of frost

Grown by John

South Downs National Park

Garden-Ready Plant in a 9cm Pot

20-30cm

£11

In stock

Perfectly happy plants, or your money back

Specialist overnight plant delivery

The highlights

  • A marriage of sweet and tart flavours
  • Brilliant juice content
  • Makes fabulous jams, jellies and coulis
  • Pick throughout July

Description

  • Blackcurrant cordial from the supermarket is nice and all, but what if you could make your own? Scientists say that homemade stuff is, in fact, 326% better than anything you can get from the store (scientists being us...)
  • 'Ben Nevis' is a wonderful, tall blackcurrant bush that produces glossy currants with excellent flavour and great juiciness
  • Besides using for juicing, you can eat these fruits fresh from the bush, use in smoothies or bake them into a delicious blackcurrant pie
  • Naturally resistant to mildews and fully hardy, this bush is an excellent option for UK gardens
  • Recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society as one of its Plants for Pollinators

What To Expect

Supplied as:

Potted plant
Garden-ready plant in a 9cm pot

Height on arrival:

20-30cm

Eventual height:

1-2m

Eventual spread:

1-1.4m
Spreads approximately 1-1.4m.

Tasting notes:

The ideal balance of sweet and tangy

Time to first crop:

2 years
Blackcurrant bushes like 'Ben Nevis' often start bearing fruit in their second year.

Flower colour:

Yellow
Small chartreuse flowers may appear in the spring

Habit:

Bushy
Grows into a bush shape that can easily be maintained.

Hardiness:

Fully hardy
H6 - Cold hardy in even severe British winters, withstanding temperatures down to -20°C.

Self fertile:

Self fertile

Uses:

Eating fresh, jams, juicing and baking

Rootstock:

Spacing:

1.5m
Plant 1.5m apart to allow for spreading.

How To Grow

Good pest and disease resistance

This variety of blackcurrant boasts good resistance to powdery mildew but might be affected by aphids and gall mites.

Water well when establishing

To help 'Ben Nevis' establish, water it regularly throughout its first growing season. Once established, however, extra watering will only usually be needed during hot and dry spells.

Full sun to partial shade

For best fruiting, plant your 'Ben Nevis' bush in a sunny position (where it receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day). The bush will still grow nicely in partial shade, however.

Any moist, well-drained soil

This blackcurrant bush isn't particularly fussy when it comes to soil type, but prefers moist, well-draining soil if possible.

Feed in winter

Blackcurrant plants like 'Ben Nevis' appreciate a good winter feed with fertiliser that's high in potassium, and also a generous mulching around the plant's base, making sure to leave a small gap between the mulch and the plant's stems.

Planting Calendar

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  • Best time to plant
  • Harvest
  • Flower

South Downs National Park

Meet John

110 years' expertise free with every plant

You simply can’t buy better fruit plants and here’s why. John grows them outdoors, just like his family has done since 1908, so they’re more than a match for the UK weather. John only has time for the top performing varieties, meaning that you can be assured of a successful (and blooming tasty) soft fruit crop.

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Growing with Roots

Good to know

Our plants are grown 
in the UK

Specialist UK growers we know and trust grow your plants the traditional way, with organic fertiliser and biological pest control. They pick only the healthiest plants for you, professionally pruning them so that they’ll grow strong and well shaped.

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Your plants are sent to you fresh from the field in our plastic free box that’s specially designed to hold them tight, then securely delivered by specialist plant couriers - straight from the grower to your garden within 
24 hours.

We're here to help at every step

We want your plants to have a long and healthy life. Expect easy-to-follow grow guides and videos devised by our team 
of experts.

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We’re confident that you’ll be delighted 
with your new plants. Need help? Alice and her team are here to guarantee you’re 
perfectly happy.

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The delivery timescale for each plant is on the web page (near the 'add to basket's button). You'll receive a dispatch email with an exact delivery date once your plants are on their way, so you can get the garden ready.

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We deliver to anywhere in Mainland UK for our standard delivery cost. We are able to deliver most plants to Highlands and non UK mainland however this will be at an additional cost. This will be calculated at the checkout. Please note, deliveries to these locations will take longer. Unfortunately, we are not able to deliver to Northern Ireland at present.

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