Fruit Tree Planner

Plan compatible pollination partners, compare varieties, and understand flowering compatibility for apples, pears, plums, blueberries, cherries, and more.

Step 1

Choose a fruit type

Fruit type

Start here. The helper uses different rules for apples, plums, blueberries, kiwis, and other fruit groups.

41 options available.

Type to narrow the list.

Selected fruit

Currant

9 tracked varieties

Many currants can fruit alone, but a second cultivar often improves yield. Red and white currants are usually easiest. Black currants are best matched with other black currants.

Currants are small shrubs, so keeping them in the same bed or nearby rows makes pollination easy.

Step 2

Choose what you want to check

Current goal

Single variety

Choose one variety and Willowbottom will show the best pollination partners.

Step 3

Choose your variety

Main variety

Choose one variety to see the strongest pollination partners.

9 options available.

Type to narrow the list.

Optional comparison variety

Optional direct pair check.

8 options available.

USDA zone (optional)

Used to sort matches and flag climate cautions.

Pick a variety first, then scroll to Step 4 for ranked partners, warnings, and the optional pair check.

Step 4

See recommendations

Selected variety

Consort

Black currant

Early bloom - early bloom

Can fruit alone, but still benefits from a partnerPartner guidance included

Bloom timing

Bloom group early - early bloom.

What to do

Currants often fruit alone, but a second cultivar from the same currant group usually improves yield.

About this variety

Consort is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. Choose it for juice, syrup, jam, and cold-climate growers who need white pine blister rust immunity, but skip it if you want mild flavor or fresh eating where a softer, sweeter berry is preferred. It usually ripens around mid July.

This shows compatible pollinators. Choose based on flavor and harvest timing.

Usually grown in USDA zones 3-7.

Consort can fruit alone, but it still benefits from a partner. Currants often fruit alone, but a second cultivar from the same currant group usually improves yield. It flowers in early bloom, which is worth knowing if you add a second tree later. Usually grown in USDA zones 3-7.

No single variety stands out as the obvious partner, but that is not a problem here: Ben Sarek, Crandall, and Titania all bloom close enough to work. Pick whichever your nursery actually carries. Currants are small shrubs, so keeping them in the same bed or nearby rows makes pollination easy.

One thing to keep in mind. Red and white currants are best matched with each other. Black currants are best matched with black currants.

To put that into practice: at a minimum, one currant can fruit, but two cultivars are the better plan if you want stronger harvests. Better still, plant two or more currants from the same currant group so bloom overlap and fruit set stay reliable. If you only have one currant, add a second cultivar from the same currant group before assuming the first plant is unproductive.

Good backups

These are still useful choices when the very best option is not available at your nursery.

Ben Sarek

Black currant

Early bloom - early-mid bloom

Good backup

Blooms in the same window. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownSame bloom window

Why choose this?

Ben Sarek is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with soft, juicy flesh and large fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for juice, syrup, jam, and small-space plantings where a compact heavy bearer matters, but skip it if you want a very large spreading bush or the earliest possible crop. It usually ripens around mid July, in the middle of this group.

Crandall

Black currant

Mid bloom - mid bloom

Good backup

Blooms close enough to overlap in many home plantings. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownNearby bloom window

Why choose this?

Crandall is sweet with light acidity and aromatic lift, with soft, juicy flesh and large fruit. In this group, this is one of the sweetest and richest picks. Choose it for fresh eating, jam, and ornamental hedgerow plantings with edible fruit, but skip it if you want classic intense black currant flavor for traditional cordials and preserves. It usually ripens around mid July, in the middle of this group.

Titania

Black currant

Use the minimum, ideal, and fallback plan to size the planting to your space and goals.

Minimum setup

One currant can fruit, but two cultivars are the better plan if you want stronger harvests.

Ideal setup

Plant two or more currants from the same currant group so bloom overlap and fruit set stay reliable.

Fallback plan

If you only have one currant, add a second cultivar from the same currant group before assuming the first plant is unproductive.

Important notes

These notes keep the key cautions and practical details easy to scan.

Warnings

Red and white currants are best matched with each other. Black currants are best matched with black currants.

Helpful notes

Currants are small shrubs, so keeping them in the same bed or nearby rows makes pollination easy.

Want to understand why these pairings work? Read the full pollination guide →

New to fruit trees? Start with fruit tree husbandry →

Every fruit and variety we cover

444 varieties across 41 fruit types. Open a crop to see the varieties, or pick one to jump straight to its pollination partners.

Apple25 varieties

Peach17 varieties

Pear22 varieties

Cherry25 varieties

Plum21 varieties

Blueberry31 varieties

Strawberry13 varieties

Raspberry16 varieties

Blackberry13 varieties

Grape14 varieties

Fig8 varieties

Apricot10 varieties

Nectarine8 varieties

Persimmon9 varieties

Pomegranate2 varieties

Mulberry8 varieties

Elderberry10 varieties

Quince7 varieties

Serviceberry8 varieties

Pawpaw7 varieties

Currant9 varieties

Gooseberry7 varieties

Jujube9 varieties

Aronia6 varieties

Honeyberry29 varieties

Hazelnut21 varieties

Cranberry7 varieties

Lingonberry6 varieties

Goji Berry5 varieties

Hardy Kiwi6 varieties

Kiwi5 varieties

Passion Fruit / Maypop4 varieties

Mango14 varieties

Avocado7 varieties

Mandarin5 varieties

Tangerine5 varieties

Kumquat5 varieties

Calamondin4 varieties

Citron4 varieties

Cherimoya6 varieties

Date Palm6 varieties