Hill's Kiev Select Black Currant is a Ukrainian cultivar with a compelling New England heritage. Raintree Nursery brought seeds from Kiev to Vermont, where the legendary horticulturist Lewis Hill selected this plant from the seedlings as his personal favorite, giving it his name. The bush produces heavily with large berries of exceptional flavor, earning its reputation for making the finest juice and jelly. Hardy in zones 3 through 8, it thrives in cold climates where many fruits struggle, and it requires a compatible pollinator variety for optimal fruit set.
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Moderate
3-8
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High
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This currant carries the fingerprints of both its Ukrainian ancestry and American stewardship. Lewis Hill's personal selection process means you're growing a variety that passed the scrutiny of one of America's most respected garden writers. The berries are notably large and packed with flavor, and when you press them into juice or cook them down for jelly, the quality is exceptional. It's a heavy producer, so a mature bush will reward you abundantly.
Black currants shine in the kitchen as juice and jelly, where their flavor reaches its full potential. The berries excel in preserves, syrups, and cooked preparations where their concentrated flavor develops complexity. Fresh eating is possible, though these currants are tart enough that most gardeners prefer to process them rather than eat them raw.
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Transplant container-grown or bareroot currant bushes in early spring before growth begins or in fall after dormancy sets in. Space plants 4 to 6 feet apart in their permanent location. Ensure soil is well-draining and has been amended with compost.
Black currants ripen in mid to late summer and turn deep black when fully mature. Pick berries when they are completely black and slightly soft to the touch; they will not continue to ripen significantly after being harvested, so wait until they reach peak darkness. Harvest by gently stripping clusters from the canes or picking individual berries by hand. The berries are small and numerous, so harvest when you have time to process them; they are most prized for juice and jelly rather than fresh eating.
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“Hill's Kiev Select Black Currant traces its lineage to Ukraine, where it originated as a seedling selection of the cultivar 'Cheryeshnava', itself a cross of several currant species. Raintree Nursery acquired seeds directly from Kiev and grew them out in their nursery. From that crop of seedlings, they selected one to send to Lewis Hill, the renowned Vermont horticulturist and prolific garden writer whose name appears in countless gardening books and magazines throughout the twentieth century. Hill cultivated the plant in his Vermont garden and declared it his favorite, a distinction significant enough that the nursery renamed it in his honor. This variety thus represents a direct line from Eastern European currant breeding through an American horticultural icon into home gardens today.”