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What is this bush, please? And when and how to prune it?

Skylark001Skylark001 Posts: 75
in Plants
Hello, all.  I've recently moved into a new property, where the following bush has been allowed to overgrow.  It's about two and a half metres tall, though very straggly.  Thin recent off-shoots have pink buds.  Leaves are just beginning to appear.  The branches are dark red, almost purple.  The branches are easy to cut.  Does anyone recognise this plant? 

If it's a fruiting bush, is it too late to prune it?  If I prune it, would it be best to prune it right down to ground level?








Posts

  • PerkiPerki Posts: 2,527
    Looks like a flowering currant, ribes sanguinum. You can cut it back hard after flowering to start again or just cut the oldest stem to the ground. I'd cut it back hard personally it's way out of shape
  • Skylark001Skylark001 Posts: 75
    Thank you, Perki!  Thanks to your ID I have looked up "ribes sanguinum" and have now read about this plant.  I think I will now let it flower, let it fruit and see if the fruit is at all worth using, cut it right down to the ground after it flowers next year, and then train it into a dense and large bush.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    I've got one of these in my garden, it makes a very effective screen and I like the cheerful flowers in spring, plus the blackcurrant smell of the leaves.  The birds like the berries in autumn too! (Not tasty for humans though!)
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Skylark001Skylark001 Posts: 75
    @Plantminded, thank you for the confirmation.  Yes, you're right, the leaves do smell of blackcurrants.  Although the currants are not tasty, I wonder if they are rich in nutrients nevertheless?
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