WHEN we moved house last year we inherited a strange thorny fruit bush that a neighbour suggested could be Worcesterberry, as it produces small gooseberry-like fruits that become purple as they ripen. Do you think this suggestion is correct and how should we look after it especially pruning as it is now 8-9 ft tall.

B BARRETT

REG SAYS:

From the description you provided it certainly sounds like Worcesterberry, which is a north American plant that was at one time thought to be a cross between a gooseberry and a blackcurrant. Botanically it is known as ribes divaricatum.

As you have rightly pointed out they grow like mad, producing long arching side shoots. Really they are very similar to gooseberries in their growth habit, thorns, leaves and fruits. Although the fruits are much smaller than most gooseberries the bushes usually crop well and one good thing to report is their immunity to the common disease American Gooseberry Mildew.

The berries can be eaten as a dessert fruit but they also make excellent jam.

When it comes to looking after them they are treated in very much the same way as gooseberries. As soon as harvest is over about mid July, cut out any badly placed branches to keep the centre of the bush more open. Then in winter cut back the main shoots by up to two thirds and prune the side shoots back to two buds long. This will control the vigour as well as promote fruit production.

Although the plants usually seem to grow very well without any regular applications of general fertiliser, bushes that crop well have a tendency to suffer from potassium deficiency so give yours a handful of sulphate of potash in April.

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Write to Reg Moule Gardeners’ Questions, Editorial, Worcester News, Hylton Road, Worcester WR2 5JX. No correspondence can be entered into. Reg Moule answers your questions courtesy of David’s Nurseries, Martin Hussingtree.

JOBS FOR THE WEEK * Deadhead regularly to encourage more flowers unless you want seeds to form.

* Pinch out the growing tips of wallflowers to promote bushiness.

* Take the last crop of cuttings this year from pinks.

* Pinch out the growing tips of fuchsias to increase the number of shoots available for cuttings.

* Sow Japanese onions to overwinter.

* Visit other people’s gardens, many of which are open to the public under various schemes, to inspire you with new ideas.

* Remove the growing tips of tomato plants to encourage rapid development of the fruits on the top trusses.

* Disbud and remove sideshoots of dahlias if you require larger blooms.

* Keep a lookout for a late attack of greenfly on plums.

* Order spring flowering bulbs.