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Expertly Grown in the UK
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autumn-sale

'Captivator' Gooseberry Bush

Little red flavour bombs

Grown by John

South Downs National Park

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'Captivator' Gooseberry Bush Soft Fruit
'Captivator' Gooseberry Bush Soft Fruit
'Captivator' Gooseberry Bush Soft Fruit

£18

In stock

Perfectly happy plants, or your money back

Specialist overnight plant delivery

The highlights

  • Boasts tartness that mellows when cooked
  • A variety with good disease resistance
  • Use in fools, clafoutis and pies
  • Harvest from July to August

Description

  • An excellent red gooseberry variety with bulbous, juicy berries, perfect for eating fresh, using in desserts and even for making homemade wine
  • This bush doesn't have many thorns or spines, which makes picking the delicious fruits a pain-free doddle!
  • There's colour everywhere you look with this plant; delicate white flowers precede the appearance of the berries in the spring, whilst in the autumn, the deciduous foliage (which is green for most of the year) takes on orange and red hues
  • Fully cold hardy and resistant to diseases like mildew, this is a fabulous choice for British gardens
  • You can grow your gooseberry bush in a variety of ways, including as a bush, cordon or trained as a fan against your fence
  • One of the Royal Horticultural Society's Plants for Pollinators, this plant will attract beneficial wildlife like bees to your garden

What To Expect

Supplied as:

Potted plant
Premium plant in a 3L pot

Height on arrival:

60-80cm
30-40cm
20-30cm

Eventual height:

2-3.5m

Eventual spread:

2m
Spreads approximately 2m.
2m
Spreads approximately 2m.
2m
Spreads approximately 2m.

Tasting notes:

Slightly tart when raw, becoming sweeter when cooked
Slightly tart when raw, becoming sweeter when cooked
Slightly tart when raw, becoming sweeter when cooked

Time to first crop:

2-3 years
Gooseberry bushes typically start producing fruit after two or three years.

Flower colour:

White
Small white flowers appear in April and May
White
Small white flowers appear in April and May
White
Small white flowers appear in April and May

Habit:

Bushy
This gooseberry bush will naturally spread as it grows.
Bushy
This gooseberry bush will naturally spread as it grows.
Bushy
This gooseberry bush will naturally spread as it grows.

Hardiness:

Fully hardy
H6 - Hardy in even harsh British winters, tolerating temperatures down to -20°C.
Fully hardy
H6 - Hardy in even harsh British winters, tolerating temperatures down to -20°C.
Fully hardy
H6 - Hardy in even harsh British winters, tolerating temperatures down to -20°C.

Self fertile:

Self fertile
Self fertile
Self fertile

Uses:

Eating fresh, jams, wine-making and desserts
Eating fresh, jams, wine-making and desserts
Eating fresh, jams, wine-making and desserts

Rootstock:

Spacing:

1.5-2m
Plant 1.5-2m apart to allow for spreading.

How To Grow

Good pest and disease resistance

From a disease perspective, there may be issues with mildew and leaf spot, whilst on the pest side of things, aphids and capsid bugs can become an issue.

Water well when establishing

Regular watering throughout your plant's first growing season is advised, as this will help it establish better. Beyond this, watering will only be needed in hot, dry spells.

Full sun to partial shade

For the best fruit, plant your gooseberry bush in full sun. It will still grow well enough in partial shade, however.

Any moist, well-drained soil

Grows well in a range of soil conditions and even tolerates chalk soils. Good drainage is key, but you also want soil that's somewhat moisture-retentive. If your soil is particularly poor, then incorporate some organic matter just to enrichen it a bit.

Feed in spring

Apply a fertiliser that's rich in nitrogen (like blood, fish and bone) in the spring.

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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