Although red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) is a deciduous shrub, it offers year round appeal and habitat, making it a favorite among Pacific Northwest gardeners and wildlife, alike. Not one December goes by that I don’t marvel at its ability to hold onto many of its seasonally colorful leaves until the solstice or beyond, and this year was no exception. Just a short while later — following barely two months of downtime in the new year — strikingly gorgeous flower clusters burst forth prolifically at the same time that fresh leaves emerge. No wonder another of its common names is “winter currant.” Fast forward a few more months, and dark dusty-blue berries, a favorite of many bird species, will adorn this multi-stemmed shrub.
The sole genus in the Grossulariaceae family, Ribes means ‘currant’ in medieval Latin. One of about 30 currant and gooseberry species in the Northwest, sanguineum refers to the reddish color of the flowers. It’s one of those native plants that had to be chaperoned by Scottish botanist David Douglas to Britain—where it was introduced into cultivation in the 1820s—before it acquired a return transatlantic ticket to popularity with gardeners on its home turf. Not too small or huge, it can usually find a home in places that offer well-drained soil and at least a quarter day of sun.
How it grows
Red-flowering currant naturally occurs at the edge of forests as well as open, rocky slopes and disturbed sites, at low to middle elevations from southwest British Columbia into Washington and Oregon between the Pacific coast and the Cascades, and as far south as central California.
Wildlife value
Pendulous flower clusters, which consist of numerous lightly fragrant, pink to reddish tubular flowers, bloom in profusion along this shrub’s many stems. They offer nectar and pollen at a time when early-emerging pollinators—such as queen bumble bees who must secure a nest and provide for offspring all by themselves—have little else to eat. The early blossoms are also attractive to birds, especially hummingbirds, but also bushtits, making this species a hub of wildlife activity for well over a month. Later on, when berries ripen as summer wanes, birds such as American robins and cedar waxwings (pictured, below) feast; we can also eat them but they are rather tasteless. The small, lobed leaves may provide food for zephyr (Polygonia gracilis zephyrus), Ceanothus silkmoth (Hyalophora euryalus), and other butterfly and moth larvae, which in turn supply food for insectivorous birds.
Try it at home
Red-flowering currant prefers sun to part sun, and well-drained soil. While tolerant of clay soils, it doesn’t do well on poorly drained sites. Useful for erosion control on slopes, it may eventually form a thicket, which is helpful for wildlife that needs somewhat dense cover.
Mature size varies from around six to ten feet tall; width is typically similar, so do allow it plenty of space so pruning won’t be necessary. A fast grower, it may reach four or five feet in just a few years and even produce blossoms as well. If you’re looking to use this shrub in a border, space them six to ten feet apart (on the low end if you want some density and overlap). Although this shrub is quite drought tolerant when established (after two to three years), water it deeply but infrequently in the hot summer months thereafter, especially if your site receives a lot of sun or reflected heat from buildings or fencing, or if drainage is quick. Plant in fall for best results.
The only downside to this lovely shrub is its relatively short life: typically just 20 to 30 years. But replacement is easy since it readily self-sows. Thus, propagation is best achieved simply, via self-sown seed, which are easily dispersed by birds or fall to the ground below. If you’d rather DIY, collect seeds as soon as fruit is ripe in mid to late summer, remove the pulp, and dry them in a shaded place; then sow in autumn (outdoors to allow for stratification). Seed reportedly has a long shelf life if stored in a cool/dry/dark place.
Grab a partner
Since red-flowering currant grows in a fairly wide range of habitats, there are a number of plants with which it interacts in intact ecosystems. For best ecological and gardening results, choose associated native plants that live in communities that currently grow or likely would have grown in your immediate area. In the Pacific Northwest, some of the plants that red-flowering currant closely associates with include Douglas-fir, bigleaf maple, madrone, bitter cherry, oceanspray, vine maple,elderberry, mock orange, serviceberry, manzanita, salal, sword fern, kinnikinnick, and others.
Finally, remember that it’s best to grow native plants that truly belong in your neck o’ the woods. Try to obtain plants propagated from source material that originated as close as possible to your site and with similar habitat features. The reason for this is that plants become adapted to their local environments by passing on genes that favor survival in that place. Over time, plants of the same species but from different parts of their range may develop different genetic makeups called genotypes, even if they look fairly similar. And the concern is that mixing plants of different genotypes can cause problems by introducing less well-adapted genes into a population, which might result in the weakening of their ability to survive and adapt to environmental changes. One way to avoid that is to buy what’s known as a local ecotype—these are plants that were propagated from sources as close as possible to where someone will be planting. It also helps ensure that the plants are well adapted to your area because local ecotypes tend to be more hardy and resistant to environmental changes, and preserves the genetic diversity that helps plants and wildlife adapt to changing conditions. This isn’t as important for gardeners in a large city, but for those who live near natural areas, mixing plants of different genotypes could have negative effects on truly native plants nearby, as well as the local native wildlife that co-evolved with local ecotypes. You can ask nurseries and growers whether they grow local ecotypes if you’re unsure.
Although many cultivars—with a range of flower color—have been developed, it’s best to choose true species or varieties found in nature. A related species for very moist places is wild gooseberry (Ribes divaricatum), which has edible fruit.