Mountain currant: when and how to prune

Ribes alpinum

Mountain currant: clip a hedge in June and August; prune a free-standing tree or shrub in May–June and August.

Updated on 11 October 2026

Key facts
Pruning months	May–June and August
As a hedge	June and August
As a free-standing shrub	May–June and August
Nesting season (15 March–15 August)	Take care in May–June and August
Flowering	April–May
Native to Belgium	Yes

Mountain currant: when to prune it?

As a hedge

As a free-standing shrub

Trim a hedge at the end of June and possibly at the end of August; a free-growing shrub after flowering.

What else to prune in those months? May · June · August

Trim a hedge neatly with hedge shears.
On a free-growing shrub, thin out a few of the oldest branches at the base after flowering.
It tolerates hard pruning: a bare, old hedge can be cut back hard; do it after flowering, and it will regrow the same year.

Trim a hedge once or twice a year, after the first flush of growth (late June) and, if needed, in late summer. Check first that no birds are nesting.

Pruning in May–June and August can fall in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Check carefully for nesting birds first: disturbing an active nest is against the law.
A dense hedge gives birds a place to nest and shelter, and hedgehogs take cover underneath. Leave some leaves at the base.
As a native plant, it feeds more insects than a non-native species.
Prunings can go on a dead hedge or brash pile in a corner of the garden: shelter for hedgehogs, wrens and insects.

Clipping without first checking for nesting birds.
Letting the hedge grow wider at the top than at the bottom: the base then goes bare.

Caution: Check that no birds are nesting in the hedge before you trim.

This guide is compiled from the Bladwijzer plant profile and pruning calendar.