Ribes sanguineum is a medium sized deciduous shrub native to Western North America which ranges from British Columbia down into Southern California and found on the West side of the Cascades to the coast in Oregon. One of our most beautiful native plants, it was introduced to garden cultivation in England in 1826 by famed explorer and botanist David Douglas where it is still a popular garden shrub.
Commonly referred to as Red Flowering Currant this shrub is a showstopper in the garden with its masses of pendulous flower clusters (racemes) in various shades of pink (some approaching red in color) and occasionally white. It blooms in early spring, when most plants in the garden are still waking up from their winter slumber. Some individuals start blooming in March though more typically the bloom time is the entire month of April in NW Oregon and sometimes continues a little ways into May. It is an excellent early food source for Anna's Hummingbirds as well as for many of our native bees at a time when necar is still a scarce resource. This versatile drought tolerant shrub is one of our top native plant recommendations and its non-aggressive habit works well in both traditional landscapes with ornamentals as well as in native and wild plantings.
Size: 7'-8' tall x 6'-7' wide
Light: Sun - Part Shade
USDA Zone: 6a-10b