Ribes spp. Champagne 1- Pink Currant

this selection is a Ribes sativum currant, the European garden-currant species that produces small jewel-like berries in long pendulous clusters called strigs. The fruit is tart-sweet and beautifully translucent, perfect for jellies, cordials, fresh eating off the cluster, and traditional summer puddings. Plants are compact, productive, and reliable in our climate.

Currants love the Pacific Northwest. Plant in full sun to part shade, they actually prefer dappled afternoon shade in our hottest inland zones, on cool moist soil with steady summer water. They are self-fertile, so a single bush will fruit, and they crop reliably from year three onward. Prune in late winter to maintain a open vase shape with a balanced mix of one-, two-, and three-year-old wood; remove anything older than four years to keep yields up.

White pine blister rust warning: Ribes species are an alternate host for white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) and should not be planted near western white pine (Pinus monticola) or eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). Check your county's regulations before planting; some PNW counties restrict Ribes near commercial timber. Otherwise, currants are deer-resistant, shrug off most pests, and are one of the easiest fruits in the home garden.

If you're considering native fruiting alternatives that support PNW birds and ecology, look at Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry), Vaccinium parvifolium (Red Huckleberry), Rubus parviflorus (Thimbleberry), Rubus spectabilis (Salmonberry), or Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon). These provide bird food, pollinator support, and Indigenous food heritage in your landscape.