Golden Currant (Ribes aureum)

For several years, I've been slowly adding more and more native plants to the garden. One of the most spectacular of spring-bloomers is the Red Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum), which I've had from the beginning, but there is another Ribes relative that I didn't know about until a few years ago. 

This is the Golden Currant (Ribes aureum). It was planted in the fall of 2023, and heading into its third year, it is 5 feet tall. The flowers are not as showy as the Red Flowering Currant, but they are attractive in their own way. I was enticed by the wildlife benefits of this shrub. The flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It is a host plant to bees, moths and butterflies. Fruits will hopefully follow in summer and are loved by birds (particularly the elusive cedar waxwings which I've yet to see in the garden).

Golden Currant grows in moist to semi-dry soils and tolerates drought after it is established. It does well in either sun or light shade. 

The Red Flowering Currant has also been blooming for weeks now.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy