Red-flowering Currant

Red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) is a deciduous shrub in the Grossulariaceae family native to western North America from British Columbia to California. It reaches 12 ft tall with an 8 ft spread and produces red flowers on previous season's wood. It grows at a moderate rate and occurs in open to wooded, moist to dry valleys.

Red-flowering currant is hardy in zones 7b-8b and prefers sun to part shade with adaptable soil drainage (pH 6.0-7.5) and moderate water. Three cultivars are available in the trade and five diseases are documented. The fruit has a low edibility rating (2/5).

Red-flowering currant is the native shrub that announces spring in the Puget Sound lowlands. It blooms on old wood from February into March, often before anything else in the garden is awake, providing critical early-season nectar for native bees and hummingbirds. Five diseases are documented, with blister rust the most regionally significant because Ribes species serve as the alternate host for white pine blister rust. This matters if you have five-needle pines (western white pine, eastern white pine) anywhere nearby. In the landscape, red-flowering currant handles the range of lowland soils from glacial till to alluvial clay, tolerates summer drought once established, and thrives in sun to part shade. Pruning happens after flowering since it blooms on old wood. The fruit has low edibility (2/5) but birds take it readily. ‘King Edward VII' and 'White Icicle’ are the cultivars you actually find in local nurseries.

— Chris Welch, ISA Certified Arborist