Anna propagated the mutation via cuttings. She named the variety simply "Ralphs' Pink Smooth" locally, but the traders at the Shrewsbury market began calling it "Anna’s Gooseberry" to distinguish it from other Ralphs family varieties.
But Anna didn't grow for size. She grew for flavor . The story, passed down through five generations of the Ralphs family until the last known bush died in the 1950s, is one of accidental genius.
The answer is a one-two punch of plant disease and agricultural economics. anna ralphs gooseberry
Post-WWII, Britain and America shifted toward sweet, hardy fruits. The gooseberry market crumbled in favor of strawberries and grapes. The ‘Anna Ralphs’, which required precise pruning and rich, loamy soil, was deemed "fussy." By 1955, the last known specimen at the RHS Garden Wisley was labeled "status: lost." The Hunt for the Ghost Berry For the last ten years, a subculture of fruit detectives has been hunting for the Anna Ralphs Gooseberry .
Unlike many modern gooseberries, the Anna Ralphs prefers a cool, maritime climate. It hates humidity. It thrives in USDA zones 4-7, but needs morning sun and afternoon shade in warmer zones. Anna propagated the mutation via cuttings
Gooseberries are susceptible to a fungal disease called American gooseberry mildew ( Sphaerotheca mors-uvae ). In the early 20th century, this disease decimated European soft fruit. While some cultivars like ‘Invicta’ proved resistant, the delicate, thin-skinned ‘Anna Ralphs’ was tragicically vulnerable.
By 1870, the was listed in a Herefordshire nursery catalogue. The description read: "A dessert gooseberry of the highest quality. Skin thin, translucent, of a honey-amber blush. Flesh melting, with a high sugar content and a distinct note of apricot. Unsurpassed for eating raw. Requires a sheltered wall." Why the Gooseberry Disappeared If the Anna Ralphs was so delicious, why don't we have it today? She grew for flavor
Furthermore, the Ralphs Family Trust (descendants of the original family, now living in Australia) recently donated a box of letters to the Shropshire Archives. Inside one letter, dated 1895, was a pressed, dried leaf and two desiccated seeds marked "Anna’s bush."