Redcurrant Red Lake - Georges Delbard

Ribes rubrum 'Red Lake' is a seasonal variety that delivers very good yields. This self-fertile redcurrant produces long clusters of red fruits that are easy to pick. The fruit is tasty, flavourful, and slightly acidic. It is easy to grow in non-scorching sunlight, in well-drained, poor soil. It requires trellising. Plant from October to March for a harvest from early to mid-July. It is resistant to frost and diseases.

Ribes rubrum belongs to the Grossulariaceae family, like gooseberries. It has been cultivated for a long time and grows spontaneously in many temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, from Europe to Siberia, to Manchuria. It is a non-thorny bushy shrub, with a clump-like habit of slightly stiff branches, with soft wood and abundant pith. This very hardy bush will reach 1.5m (5ft) in height and 1.2m (4ft) in width. The green foliage is deciduous, composed of palmate, lobed, and aromatic leaves. Flowering takes place in spring, in the form of clusters of small, inconspicuous greenish to brownish flowers, which are very popular with bees. Fruiting mainly occurs on one- and two-year-old branches. The bush is then covered with clusters of small, round, translucent berries containing small seeds. Harvesting takes place as the fruits ripen. This variety produces long clusters of red fruits, to be picked from early July to mid-July. The currants have tasty and slightly acidic flesh. The fruits are low in calories, and rich in minerals, trace elements, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus. They are also a good source of vitamin C and fibre.

Use fresh currants in jelly or pastry for pie fillings or sorbets. In the garden, this bush takes on its full charm when it is laden with its long sanguine clusters shining in the summer light. The pleasure is visual and gustatory, as well as olfactory when its warm foliage perfumes the garden. It pairs well with white currant varieties and gooseberries, as well as shrubs that offer beautiful fruiting (not edible), such as Leycesteria formosa, beautyberries, Nandina domestica and its varieties, Japanese quinces, small-leaved cotoneaster, St. John's wort 'Magical Beauty', and symphorines. For small gardens or to save space, train it against a wall or prune it into a standard. Note that the currant bush can also be grown in large pots, with a depth of at least 40cm (16in), while being careful not to water it with hard water.