Invicta Gooseberry (Bundle of 2)

Overview

Invicta Gooseberry (often sold as Malling Invicta) is a European gooseberry selected for high productivity, large green fruit, and strong disease resistance—especially against powdery mildew. From the research available, it traces back to breeding work in England (East Malling), where it entered cultivation as part of modern gooseberry improvement efforts.

History

From published germplasm and pomology references, Invicta is described as coming from East Malling breeding in England and is associated with a multi-parent background that includes classic gooseberry lines such as Resistenta, Whinham’s Industry, and Keepsake. 

Fruit Quality & Uses

Invicta is known for very high yields of large fruit (which is large for a gooseberry!) and a flavor that works well both fresh and processed. We've had consistent crops every year in Missoula. It's escellent when fully ripe and the fruit come on around Mid-July here in Missoula. It also excels for pies, jams, sauces, and other cooked uses where gooseberries really shine. 

Cold Hardiness

For an “absolute extreme winter low” figure for what Invicta has surviveddown to, the most explicit cultivar-specific claim we found repeatedly in nursery cultivar specs is that Invicta is hardy to about −40°F, which corresponds to a solid Zone 3 shrub in practical planning terms. That said, may be even hardier than this, but we don't exactly know. Invicta will therefore work in most of Western Montana. As it goes for the Eastern part of the state, It is likely that Invicta would survive most areas, but still plant in areas free of frost polling (up on a bench and certainly out of depressions or lower elevation sites on your property).

Other Notable Characteristics

Invicta is vigorous and thorny, and it’s often recommended for training/trellising and regular pruning to keep picking manageable and improve airflow. It’s heavy bearing tendency and mildew resistance are big reasons it became so widely planted.

Shrubs are 6-18"