Whitman Farms is selling a new gooseberry cultivar named Jeanne which seems very promising.Following is a discription of the plant: The Agricultural Research Service announces the naming and release of a disease and pest resistant, high quality, dark-red, dessert gooseberry cultivar, JEANNE. Ribes uva-crispa L. cv. JEANNE is a late-ripening, dark red, dessert gooseberry with an unknown mixed European/American gooseberry pedigree. This plant was tested under the selection number O. T. 126, CRIB 11, ad PI 555830, which was donated to the USDA ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository in 1981 from the Ribes collection maintained in collaboration between USDA and Oregon State University, Department of Horticulture, in Corvallis, Oregon. JEANNE should be suitable for commercial gooseberry production or home plantings. Flowers and Fruit In Corvallis, Oregon, JEANNE is a late blooming, late-ripening, dark red gooseberry. In most years, first leaf occurs in late March, full bloom occurs mid- to late-April, seven days to two weeks later than 'Malling Invicta' or 'Captivator'. The flowers are Plant JEANNE has an upright growth habit with some sprawling lower branches. Plants grow to a moderate size of about 1m x 1 m. The leaves are glossy green in spring and summer. Some branches have an occasional single spine per node. The spines are about 0.9 cm. Fruit Quality The fruit taste is full and sweet, improved over 'Captivator'. Fruit quality measurements for mid-July 2005 are as follows: pH = 3.3, titratable acidity = 1.85 g citric acid/100g berries, and oBrix =16.6, total anthocyanins = 19.7 mg/100g berries (expressed as cyanidin-3-glucoside), total phenolics = 128.4 mg/100g berries (expressed as gallic acid equivalents). Disease and Insect Resistance The leaves and fruits of JEANNE are highly resistant to powdery mildew, caused by Sphaerotheca mors-uva (Schwein). Berk. & Curt. In 1995, JEANNE was rated 1 (1 = most resistant, 9 = most susceptible) to mildew on both shoots and fruits, while 'Captivator' was rated 2 on both; 'Malling Invicta' was rated 2 for shoot mildew and 3 for fruit mildew; 'Careless' was rated 8 for shoot mildew and 9 for fruit mildew. Over the years JEANNE has remained at rating 1 for shoot and fruit mildew in Corvallis. The leaves of JEANNE are also highly resistant to white pine blister rust, caused by Cronartium ribicola Fisher. Between 1995 and 2005, no uredia formed on JEANNE under natural infection in Corvallis, Oregon. A few uredia formed on leaves of this plant after artificial inoculation in the field with 20,000 spores/ml. In Corvallis, damage from aphids or defoliation from sawflies (Pachynematus spp.) was less severe on JEANNE than in other European gooseberries. In 1995, 1996 and 1997 JEANNE was rated 1 (least affected) for sawflies, while other gooseberries, such as 'Jubilee Careless', were rated 9 (severe defoliation). .Black leaf spot, caused by Drepanopeziza ribis (Kleb.) Hohn, is visible on some leaves in summer, but does not appear to cause plant damage. Propagation JEANNE can be propagated by hardwood cuttings taken after 1000 hours of chilling has been received, or by softwood cuttings taken after bloom is finished when new growth snaps when bent sharply. The rooting percentage of cuttings is usually improved from liquid application of auxin. JEANNE was named in honor of the late Ms. Cheryl Jeanne Gunning, who worked in the tissue culture laboratory of the Corvallis Repository from 1981 to 1985. Genetic material of this release is deposited in the National Plant Germplasm System, USDA ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository at Corvallis, Oregon, where it will be available for research purposes, including development and commercialization of new cultivars. Limited quantities of JEANNE cuttings or rooted plants are available from: Curator, USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository, 33447 Peoria Road, Corvallis, OR 97333-2521. The Agricultural Research Service does not have plants for commercial sale.

If the sawflies are gone, just water the roses well--to encourage them to start putting out new leaves. If some of the damaged leaves look too bad, pluck them off--but I wouldn't pluck off too many. As long as there is still some green on the leaf, the plant is still doing its photosynthesis thing. I'm serious--water! That's it. Don't go crazy hauling out fertilizers and sprays and what-not. They won't help right now--and may harm the roses! Next spring (I've only seen sawflies/rose slug in the late spring--but maybe other regions have them at different times), keep an eye out for the teeny, tiny green "worm-like" critters often on the back side of leaves. If you don't want to squish them, do what I do--I just toss them out in the middle of my yard, figuring they will never find their way back to that rose again. You may have to do that for a week or two--but by then, the natural predators will show up and start eating up the slugs. At that point, the problem is solved for me, and I probably won't see any more rose slugs until the following spring. Like I said, I don't know if that is how they operate in all regions, however. That's really all you need to do in the future. But water now--since it is getting cooler out, the roses may burst forth with one last cycle of growth, maybe even of bloom. Kate

Thank you for your comments --- some funny, all reassuring. Ken: Latin aside-- once you alerted me to the fact, I could see from the first photo that they had chomped down on the older needles and avoided the tips. Good news that they are not so disastrous after all. smivies: thanks for the warning not to trim or pruneâ¦that the tree should just grow out of any damage. Hopefully in a few years the additional new growth will cover the bare branches. Tom: the 'disgusting' part WAS the fact that when I first spotted them on our Mungo pine, I thought they were funky needles--- all the same length and kind of black. But when they swayed as 'one' --- from the motion of my hand? or the heat of my breath?---- as I leaned in closer to inspect them, that startled me! Not a fan of creepy crawly things, even as they go about their normal bug 'business.' Molie

The few Hinnomaki Red I've had have been pretty good, but not as sweet as they H-Yellow. I would have had a good sized sample last year, but lost the leaves on most of my bushes to gooseberry sawfly. I've soured somewhat on Red/White currants and am focusing on blacks for preserves. I'll have to try making a batch as Harvestman describes. The recent Nadia thread prompted me to order one from Raintree and of course, while I was there, I had to add a few Black Currants. So, I'm adding the following next year: Strata (Raintree) Ben Lomond (RT) Black Reward (RT) Titania (Indiana Berry) Ben Sarek (RT) Beauty of Altay (ARS/GRIN) Harvestman, what type of Black Currants do you grow? Both my BC batches this year was the best I've ever had by quite a margin. I should update my Black Currant thread... The year before I didn't have enough BC to do just that, and instead mixed it with Reds, Whites, and Gooseberries. it was OK, but the Hero Black Currant jam from the store were better (cheaper than botique-y ones at ~$3).