Bare-root pre-orders are open, shipping late January|Every plant guaranteed|Trusted by 20,000+ growers
White Currant (Imperial)

White Currant (Imperial)

$14.99

Imperial White may be the best currant on the market for eating straight off the bush: delicately sweet, translucent, and high in vitamin C, on an upright shrub that stays tidy.

  • Delicately sweet and translucent; outstanding eaten fresh.
  • High in vitamin C and rich in antioxidants.
  • An upright shrub that holds a tidy shape.
  • Unusual enough to be worth a visible spot in the garden.
  • Self-fertile; one bush sets a full crop, and a second currant nearby increases berry size.

Shop both locations freely. Picking up? Choose your location at checkout. Shipping? Stock location does not matter, we will handle it. Combined orders may take 3 to 7 days.

Total in stock: -

Add to Wishlist
Add to Wishlist
Arrives healthy, guaranteed. Problem within 14 days? Send a photo and we replace it or credit you.
Ships in 1 to 4 business days from our nursery in Washington state, in a 36 inch box.
SKU: White Currant (Imperial) Categories: , Tag:
From our inbox

Boxed perfect. Shipped on time. Excellent quality stock. About the only thing you could do to improve my experience would be to fly out to Maine and plant them for me.

Don, Maine

The bare roots are by far the most established roots that I have ever seen on a bareroot tree.

Website customer

I have been buying from your nursery for years, and hands down your citrus has survived the best out of all of my sources. I have never lost a plant in my colder climate.

Returning customer

Description

Imperial White is grown for fresh eating above everything else. The berries are delicately sweet and translucent, with the mild acidity that makes white currants so easy to eat by the handful, and they are high in vitamin C and rich in antioxidants.

The plant is an upright shrub that keeps a tidy shape without much intervention, which makes it a reasonable choice for a visible position rather than a working row at the back of a garden.

Overview

  • Delicately sweet and translucent; among the best fresh-eating currants.
  • High in vitamin C and rich in antioxidants.
  • Upright and tidy in habit.
  • Handsome enough for a visible position.

Growing Details

Latin Name: Ribes rubrum ‘Imperial’
Site and Soil: 1/2 day to full day of sun; rich, moist, well-drained soil
Hardiness: Hardy to USDA Zone 3
Rootstock: Grown from cuttings
Bearing Age: Light crop the year after planting; full crops by the third or fourth year
Size at Maturity: Upright and compact, about 3 to 5 ft tall and wide
Ripening Time: Mid season; July into August
Pollination: Self-fertile; one bush sets a full crop, and a second currant nearby increases berry size

Additional Notes

  • Grower’s Insight: A bowl of white currants on the table disappears faster than a bowl of red ones. The acidity is what puts people off, and this has very little.
  • Regional Insight: Currants are cool-climate fruit, at their best where summers stay moderate and winters are properly cold.
  • Explore more berries in our collection: Berries

Planting & Care

At a Glance – Imperial Currant

  • Sun: 1/2 day to full day of sun
  • Soil: Rich, moist, well-drained soil
  • Water: Steady moisture through fruiting; currants dislike drying out
  • Size: Upright and compact, about 3 to 5 ft tall and wide
  • Pollination: Self-fertile; one bush sets a full crop, and a second currant nearby increases berry size
  • Harvest: Midsummer
  • Hardiness: Hardy to USDA Zone 3

Planting & Care – Imperial Currant

Site Selection

  • Half a day to a full day of sun, with afternoon shade where summers run hot.
  • Give the site air movement; crowded currants hold damp.

Soil Preparation

  • Work in plenty of compost; currants are hungry and want moisture held.
  • Rich, moist, well-drained ground suits them best.

Planting Instructions

  1. Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball.
  2. Set the plant an inch or two deeper than it grew, to encourage new canes.
  3. Backfill, firm gently, and water thoroughly.
  4. Mulch 2 to 3 inches deep, kept clear of the stems.

Watering & Fertilizing

  • Keep the roots evenly moist; currants drop fruit if they dry out.
  • Feed in early spring with a balanced fertilizer.

Pollination

  • Self-fertile, and a second currant nearby gives larger berries.

Pruning & Training

  • Prune in late winter while the bush is dormant.
  • Prune out the oldest wood each winter to keep young fruiting canes coming.

Harvest & Use

  • Pick at full translucence; taste rather than watch the colour.
  • Best fresh; pale and pretty in a fruit salad.

General Tips

  • Mulch every spring; shallow currant roots want cool, moist ground.

No reviews of this plant yet.

Related products