Gooseberry 'Invicta'

Care of your gooseberry:

• Mulch to conserve soil moisture.
• Water regularly and especially during dry spells. Container-grown gooseberries should be watered as soon as their soil dries out.
• In late winter, feed with a balanced granular feed. Avoid feeding the plants with too much nitrogen because this can encourage weak growth, which can be prone to mildew.
• Plant bare-root gooseberries between late autumn and early spring, and container-grown plants at any time, avoiding waterlogged, dry or frozen soil.
• Standards should be staked to keep them stable.

Pruning your gooseberry:

• In Year one, in early spring of the first year after planting, prune the main stems back by half.
• From year two onwards, in November, shorten the main stems that you pruned in the spring back to half of their new growth. Any new side shoots that have grown from the main shoots can also be either shortened by half or removed if they are not needed. At the same time, remove any suckers or side shoots that are damaged or crossing. Aim for a goblet shape.
• After year two, bushes just need a simple twice-yearly trim. In July, trim all new side shoots to 5 leaves.
• In winter, cut back main stems by half their new growth and any side shoots back to 2 buds (these are the shoots that you trimmed in July). Any stems that are damaged, dead or out of place can also be removed.

Please allow us 3-5 working days to dispatch your order. Pre-ordered items will be sent as soon as possible after the date quoted and we'll generally ship your entire order with your pre-ordered items. When your order is dispatched, we'll send you another email with details of how to track it.

Most orders are sent on a fully-tracked courier service with Yodel. To avoid perishable items being stuck at depots and deteriorating, no signature is required, and our courier is asked to leave your order in a safe place on your property.

We'll send a tracking link when we dispatch your order, so you know when its due to arrive. Please note, once delivered we cannot be held responsible for loss or theft from your property. If you have any specific delivery instructions, please let us know - there's an option to enter a short message for the courier at the checkout.

Smaller, lighter, single-item orders may be sent through the post with Royal Mail - in which case no tracking is available.

Our experienced nursery team will always send your plants nursery fresh in the perfect condition to thrive when you plant them, so although most plants are very tough and will not be affected by all but the most extreme frosts or heatwaves, we avoid dispatching the most perishable plants if extreme weather is forecast, or over Bank Holiday weekends.

Please note, we cannot guarantee delivery on a certain day or time. Delivery to outlying postcode areas may take 1-2 days longer, dependent on your location.