'Ben Connan' Blackcurrant Plants

• Variety: Ben Connan, an early, heavy-cropping Blackcurrant
• Latin name: Ribes nigrum 'Ben Connan'
• Sold as: Bareroot plants, and pot-grown in 3 litre pots
• Fruit: Large, with an excellent flavour. Best for cooking, jam and juice
• Picking: Early in the Blackcurrant season
• Size: 1 to 1.5m tall and wide
• Habit: Compact
• Pollination: Blackcurrants are self-fertile: one bush crops alone
• Spacing: 1.4m between plants, 1.5m between rows
• Position: Full sun, sheltered
• Soil: Moist but well-drained, enriched with manure or compost. Takes slightly chalky soil
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• RHS Award of Garden Merit: Yes (1995)
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Pot-grown, all year when in stock. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Ben Connan is an early Blackcurrant with heavy crops of large, well-flavoured fruit on a compact bush, which makes it a good choice where space is short. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit and is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list.

'Ben Connan' Blackcurrant Plants

Ben Connan blackcurrants are the earliest to ripen. It produces large yields of dark fruit on short clusters of strings so make picking easy. They taste outstanding and Ben Connan has the added virtues of growing as a tidy bush and being relatively disease free.

As with all currants, Ben Connan Blackcurrants should be grown with 1.40 metres between plants in the row and 1.5 metres between rows.

Browse our variety of currant plants or see our full range of soft fruit bushes.

History & Trivia

Ben Connan is a cross between Ben Lomond and Ben Sarek

Planting Companions

Ben Connan's parents are both in our range: Ben Lomond and Ben Sarek. For a bowl of mixed currants, add the redcurrant Rovada and the whitecurrant Versailles Blanche. Our guide to growing Blackcurrants covers planting and pruning. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Ashridge for Soft Fruit?

Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Ben Connan Blackcurrant comes bareroot while dormant, or pot-grown for planting in any month. Bareroot plants are guaranteed for 12 months, and so is a potted plant delivered leafless between November and March.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Ben Connan need a pollination partner?

No. Blackcurrants are self-fertile, so one bush crops on its own.

When does it crop?

Early in the Blackcurrant season, with heavy crops of large fruit of excellent flavour.

How big does the bush grow?

It grows 1 to 1.5 metres tall and wide, with a compact habit. Allow 1.4 metres between plants and 1.5 metres between rows.

How do you prune a Blackcurrant?

When it is dormant, from late autumn to late winter. The fruit forms on young wood, so cut out older wood and leave the young shoots.

What soil and feeding does it need?

A soil enriched with well-rotted manure or compost, in full sun. It tolerates slightly alkaline soil. Give it a balanced fertiliser with extra nitrogen in spring.

Does it hold an award?

Yes. Ben Connan has held the Award of Garden Merit since 1995.

When are the plants delivered?

Bareroot plants are delivered from November to April, while they are dormant. Pot-grown plants can be delivered and planted in any month when you find them in stock.