Carla commented on the last book giveaway that Ribes Sanguineum was her favorite native plant in California….but since we already did California (the CA poppy)… The red flowering currant will be our choice for Washington State where it is also a popular native. Here is an excellent write-up about the plant from Las Pilitas Nursery.

Pink Flowering currant is a five foot deciduous shrub with long showy pink flower clusters that cover the plant in January to March. Ribes sanguineum glutinosum is native to canyons and north slopes in the coast ranges. This currant likes shade to part shade, moderate water in interior, very drought tolerant in coastal gardens. Sometimes growing in deep shade next to a seasonal stream in heavy clay, sometimes on north slopes. They were surrounded by Bays, Tan Bark oak, Yerba Buena and Holodiscus. We’ve planted them in sand in Cambria and they grew like weeds(eight foot in a year). They look like they belong in a redwood garden ,Oak Woodland or Evergreen Forest. Pink flowering currant can be successful in a lawn. This plant looks good enough for a formal landscape.. It will survive most garden situations. We’ve had one survive here for 23 years. (It finally died of drought in the drought.) This Ribes is more drought tolerant that most of the drought resistant’ plants of the trade, but in a native garden plant towards the wettest section of the garden.

1. 080428 Blodribs, 2. Blut-Johannisbeere, 3. Ribes sanguineum (Flowering currant), 4. ribes sanguineum + sky, 5. PSØ8.9 – Cassis-fleur celtique, 6. Red Flowering Currant, 7. Spring flowers 2 Flowering Currant, Ribes sanguineum, 8. Flowering Currant. Ribes sanguineum, 9. Red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum), 10. Ribes sanguineum, 11. Ribes sanguineum / Blutjohannisbeere, 12. Ribes sanguineum