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Key characteristics

Family: Grossulariaceae
Height: 6 to 10 feet
Width: 5 to 8 feet
Flower color: Deep pink to red drooping clusters of tubular flowers, sometimes white or pale pink forms
Foliage color: Medium green lobed leaves with a soft texture; often turning yellow in fall
Bloom time: Early to mid spring; often March to April
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Water: Low to average
Maintenance: Low; prune after flowering to shape plants and remove older stems to encourage vigorous growth
Growing zone: USDA zones 6 to 9
Wildlife: Hummingbirds, bees butterflies and birds that feed on the blue-black berries

Shrubs

Ribes sanguineum

Red Flowering Currant

Ribes sanguineum produces pendulous clusters of deep pink to red flowers in early to mid spring, the tubular blooms hanging in elongated racemes along the branches. The blossoms are followed by small blue-black berries with a soft bloom later in the season. Rounded, softly lobed leaves emerge in fresh green and carry a lightly textured surface, forming a full canopy through the growing season.

Native to western North America, particularly from British Columbia to California, Ribes sanguineum grows naturally in open woodlands and forest edges.

Light

Full sun to partial shade

Water

Low to average

Bloom time

Early to mid spring; often March to April

Find this plant

Works well in

Sun Gardens
Native Gardens
Specimen Plants
Bird Gardens

Companion plants

Irises · Italian buckthorn · Sneezeweed · Fountain grass · Rock cress · Flowering quince

Design tip

Allow Ribes sanguineum to form an informal screen or hedge along a property edge or at the back of a planting, where its arching branches have room to spread. Layer smaller shrubs in front to soften its base and create a natural transition.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)