nature of your neighborhood logo

Red-flowering currant

Certainly one of the most beloved and showy of native northwest shrubs, the brilliant display of carmine red flowers in spring are welcomed by gardeners and hummingbirds alike. It does best in rocky, well drained soil in sunny locations and less well in heavy soils and shade. It is very upright, to six feet, in habit and should be used in the middle or back of a border bed. It also works well as a scrambling plant en masse in open forests and on slopes. Description from Native Plant Guide

Home  >  Plant Guide  >  

Red-flowering currant

Red-flowering currant fast facts

Scientific Name

Ribes sanguineum

Family

Grossulariaceae

Garden Type

Edible Garden, Rain Garden Appropriate

Wildlife

Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds

Native Plant Region

PNW, North America

Light needs

Filtered, Full Sun

Water Needs

Medium

Plant Type

Deciduous, Flowering, Perennial, Shrub

Bloom Color(s)

Red

Height

5 – 10 feet

Width

2 – 5 feet

Months in Bloom

May, June

Safe Beneath Power Lines?

Yes
red-flowering currant

Have feedback on this plant listing?

We’d like to maintain accurate and robust plant listings. If you see information that is not correct or that could be added to improve the listing, please let us know. Or if you’d like to suggest a plant to add to our plant guide, you can use this form do so. Thank you!

Start Nurturing Your Neighborhood Today

Varied Thrush by Tania Simpson
Community

Urban Birding in Capitol Hill

Take a virtual trip across Capitol Hill to learn about urban habitat types, how to identify the unique birds they support, and what we can do to make the neighborhood a safer place for them to live.

READ MORE
fern
Community

The Nature of Capitol Hill

Despite the urban character and the high population density, a surprising diversity of life exists in Capitol Hill. Explore a few physical aspects of our urban ecosystems and meet some of its more-than-human residents.

READ MORE
seedlings
Community

Capitol Hill Seed Library

Gardeners can check out seeds for free from the library to plant. Then after harvest, gardeners bring seeds back to the library for others to enjoy in future growing seasons.

READ MORE