If you look up during the winter, when all the deciduous trees have dropped their leaves, you might spot something still growing up there, tucked in the bare branches.It might be mistletoe, that beautiful parasite that we smooc
06.06.2023 - 15:43 / gardenerspath.com / Kristine Lofgren
How to Grow Gooseberries Ribes uva-crispa and R. hirtellumWhen people think of berries, I find most tend to imagine the seductive strawberry or the bountiful blueberry, but the gooseberry rarely even gets an honorable mention.
While they get more love in the UK than in the US, even there they take a backseat to their raspberry and blackberry brethren.
It’s my mission to change that by the end of this article. Once we’re done, you’ll be singing the gooseberry’s praises from your rooftops.
We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission.
Think I’m overselling them a bit? Let me take a minute to share some of their benefits and special characteristics:
Gooseberries suffer from a fraction of the pests and diseases that plague blueberries.
They’re versatile and handsome in the garden, but unlike some other fruit plants, they’re pretty low maintenance and don’t take up too much room.
And sure, not all varieties have that honeyed sweetness that other fruits boast, but they have a tart ambrosia all their own.
While we’re on the topic of the fruits, they don’t rot as rapidly as many others do after harvest, so you can keep them around a bit longer after you’ve plucked them for use in desserts, yogurts, and jams.
On top of that, they make pretty ornamental additions to the garden. You can train them up walls or use them as a natural fence.
While the flowers are generally not too showy, they attract bees and butterflies. In the fall, the leaves turn a lovely, vibrant red.
Convinced you need this oft-undervalued contribution to the edible landscaping world? Then let’s dig in.
What Are Gooseberries?Gooseberries belong to the Ribes genus, along with currants.
While currants have
If you look up during the winter, when all the deciduous trees have dropped their leaves, you might spot something still growing up there, tucked in the bare branches.It might be mistletoe, that beautiful parasite that we smooc
Can we talk about wisteria for a minute? I mean, a vine in full bloom is like something straight out of a fairy tale.The long, vibrant clusters of blossoms and t
A larch is a pretty dramatic sight to behold. The trees are ramrod straight and covered in bright green, inch-long needles that shift to golden yellow in the fall.They’ve adapted to extreme conditions, perch
Arrowhead plants are unkillable.Okay, you could probably manage it if you tried, but you’d r
The cattleya orchid is known for being a bit of a show-off. If your interior design scheme is sleek, spare, and modern, these might not be your cup of tea.But if you can imagine yourself spinning down the mi
When I told my husband I was planting purslane in the garden, I suspect he thought I’d lost my mind.No doubt he was thinking back to the years whe
Blueberries are popular with home gardeners because, let’s face it, they’re delicious. But while the berries get most of the attention, the bushes are beautiful plants in their own right.Blueberry plants bloom during mid- to late spring – t
When you grow houseplants, you bring some of the outdoors in.But much of the time, houseplants are adorably short, traili
I don’t know what’s happening with alliums in Uzbekistan, but they’re growing some fantastic garlic.There’s nothing wrong with a lovely, mild bulb, but sometimes you want something sweet,
If you’re just starting out with roses, chances are that someone will tell you to try growing a shrub rose first.They’re easy to handle bec
The fantastic, easygoing Rocky Mountain juniper is a North American native that’s used to spruce up formal gardens and natural spaces alike.Birds love it, it can thrive in difficult-to-fill spots, and it a
Do you know the old saying about how good things come in small packages? Creeping junipers rarely stretch above a foot or so tall, but they make an outsized impact.This species of evergreen comes in some unusual colors like y