Plant of the Month
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Our talented and creative gardeners maintain over 85,000 plants and bulbs in our local parks and traffic islands. Each month we will feature 2 plants and will provide some general information about each plant.
GARDENING FEATURE IS:
Ribes sanguineum
(Red Flowering Currant)
submitted by Saanich Park's Gardener Kevin Fraser
 
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Latin name- Ribes sanguineum
Common name- Red Flowering Currant
Found at Peakrkes Recreation Centre, Horner Park, Nellie McClung library and many traffic islands throughout Saanich.
Ribes sanguineum is a deciduous shrub, native to lower Vancouver Island. It has reddish-brown bark and grows 1-3 m. tall. The leaves are alternate and irregularly 5-lobed and 2- 6 cm. wide. The drooping clusters of flowers come in shades of pink, deep red and even white. Flowering time often coincides with the return of the Rufous hummingbird to our region.
Not surprisingly, Flowering Currant is a favourite source of nectar for many hummingbirds.This shrub prefers well drained soils and full sun, but will tolerate part shade as well. It is a low maintenance, drought tolerant and beautiful addition to any landscape.
This plant was discovered by Archibald Menzies in 1793, while voyaging with Captain George Vancouver. Ribes was introduced to European horticulture, by David Douglas in1826, where it has been cultivated ever since.
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