Ribes sanguineum

© Great Plant Picks

© Great Plant Picks

Brooks Tree Farm

Common Name: Red Flowering Currant

The native flowering currant welcomes spring with a showy array of rosy-pink buds softening to a rich, clear pink. The early spring flowers have a spicy fragrance and are a favorite of over-wintering hummingbirds. This deciduous shrub is a vigorous grower and a reliable performer in the garden. Use as a single filler shrub to add a splash of spring color or group together to form an informal screen. Combinations with hellebores, spring bulbs or early rhododendrons create an excellent foil for the sparkling blooms. Mix the typical form with white and red flowering currants for a celebration of color at a time when little else is in bloom.

Tough and durable, flowering currant tolerates poor soils and drought once established. In very dry locations, occasional summer watering will promote better growth. The best bloom is in full sun, but it will still have plenty of flowers in partial sun and bright open shade. Very little pruning is required to maintain the loose upright habit. If a branch strays too much out of bounds it can be removed. Plants will often sucker to form a small patch.

(Source: Great Plant Picks)