Ribes sanguineum at Sequim Rare Plants

Olympic   Coast  Garden
Ribes sanguineum

Ribes sanguineum, pink-flowered currant

Shown here are clusters of dark pink flowers just before they fully open. The photograph was taken February 25th. This is native to the Pacific Northwest where it is often seen at the margins between forest and field. As it flowers so early in the year and is so widespread along our coastline, hummingbirds rely on it for their early spring diet. Because our climate is similar to much of the climate on the British Isles, Brits have adopted it as one of their favorite spring flowers. Several named clones of this have been selected, varying from rich red to creamy white. The plant illustrated here is wild.