california native flora

Ribes Sanguineum var. Glutinosum – Pink-flowering Currant

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Pink-flowering Currant is a drought tolerant California native shrub but prefers to be in shade to part-shade. I have it by our south facing wall where it is warm and there is plenty good air-flow and also a little reflected sunlight at various parts of the day. So far so good – in the short time we’ve had it we can see a good amount of new foliage. I’m not expecting to see any flowers this year but a good year in the garden will hopefully see it produce a few blooms 12 months from now.

Ribes Sanguineum var. Glutinosum is a great wildlife plant. Hummingbirds and butterflies enjoy the nectar from the flowers and song birds love the fruit. It is considered a fast grower and can reach 6′ tall or more with a similar spread. The attractive pink flower clusters appear in late winter into spring with dark berries later. The berries are edible but don’t taste good so leave them to the birdies who appreciate them more. This shrub is deciduous and will most likely lose its leaves in the summer.