blood currant
Ribes sanguineum
RHS Plants for Pollinators
USDA zones5 to 9
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size5 to 12 feet tall5 to 12 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn, winter
- Bloom color
- White , red , pink
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Blood currant (Ribes sanguineum) is a shrub for borders, hedges, pollinator gardens, and woodland gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 5, or down to -20°F (-29°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to moist soil of most types. Pink to dark red flowers open in early spring, and hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies visit them for nectar. Deer usually look elsewhere for a meal. Birds enjoy the bluish-black fruit.
Pairs well with Arrowwood viburnum, Christmas fern, and Little bluestem.
Native range
North America.