Description
Swedish White is prized for how the fruit looks as much as how it tastes. The berries are sweet, flavorful and translucent, and they hang in long clusters that cover the whole of a small shrub when the crop comes in around the middle of July.
Like the other white currants it is mild rather than sharp, which makes it a fresh-eating fruit in a family that is mostly destined for the preserving pan. It is hardy, self-fertile and easy, as currants reliably are.
Overview
- Sweet, flavorful, translucent berries.
- Long clusters covering a small shrub.
- Ripens in mid-July.
- Mild enough for fresh eating; hardy and easy.
Growing Details
Latin Name: Ribes rubrum ‘Swedish White’
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 small currant covered in translucent fruit is one of the better things in a July garden. Plant it where it can be seen.
- 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
