Currants

Red Flowering Currant

Ribes sanguineum. Deciduous, medium to large, upright shrub. Abundant bright pinkish red flowers in early spring. Blue berries. Yellow fall color. Enjoyed by hummingbirds and humans. Sun or shade. Hardy to -10 degrees F. Zones 5. Pacific Northwest Native.

Cherry

Ribes rubrum. Large fruited, older variety with deep, dark red berries. Acid flavor. High quality. Excellent for jam, jelly, sauce or fresh. Spreading bush rows 4-6 feet high and 2-5 ft wide. Makes a good ornamental hedge. Bears well but attracts aphids. Appears to have resistance to powdery mildew. Commonly grown commercially. Hardiest and heaviest yielding currant released to date. Ripens in early September. Requires a minimum annual precipitation of 20 inches. Zones 3-8. Developed by the Washington State department of Agriculture.

Consort

Medium long clusters of somewhat soft .5-.75 inch black berries. Prominent sweet unique musky flavor. Good for jams, jellies, preserves, wine, juice and flavoring. Excellent dried. Heavy bearing shrub grows 4-6 feet tall and 3-5 feet wide. Self fruitful Easy to care for. Resistant to white pine blister rust. Will naturalize. Excellent bird forage or windbreak shrub. Black currants are one of the highest sources of vitamin C. Requires minimum annual precipitation of 20 inches. Hardy to -30 degrees F. Zones 3-9. Developed in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. Introduced in 1950.

Crandall (Clove Currant)

Ribes odoratum. Large black currants in clusters. Sweet tart flavor. Excellent for jam, syrup and juice. Five times the vitamin C of oranges. Bush is upright, fast growing and has dark green leaves. Very productive. Ornamental yellow flowers with delightful clove fragrance lasting for up to two weeks in the spring. Good fall color. Disease resistant. Ripens in mid July. Zones 2-8. Native to great plains into Canada.

Jostaberry

Ribes grossularia x Nigrum. Complex cross of black currant x Gooseberry. Large clusters of nearly black berries. Looks like a gooseberry until ripe. Mild black currant flavor but larger berry size. Higher vitamin C content than gooseberries. Excellent for eating fresh, jam, juice and cordials. Thornless gooseberry like plant is more vigorous than either parent. Grows over 5 feet tall by the second year. Bears sooner than either parent. Self fertile. Heavy yields of up to 11 pounds per plant. Completely resistant to powdery mildew, fungal dieback, currant bud mite and white pine blister. Cold hardy into Canada. Zones 3-8. Developed in Europe.

Pink Champagne

Red x white currant cross. Compact bush produces large clusters of light pink berries. Flavor not as tart as red currant. Good for fresh eating, cooking and preserving. Resists mildew, rust and aphids. Easy to grow. Sun or part shade. Ripens in July. Zones 3-8.

Red Lake

Superior strain of ribes rubrum. Compact clusters are medium to large, 4 inches long with 8-10 berries. Long stems for easy picking Large .4-.7 inch diameter dark red berries. Excellent for jellies, preserves, tarts and muffins. Makes sparkling red jelly. Strong, vigorous, upright bush with dense foliage. Grows 4-6 feet tall by 2-5 feet wide. Early bearing. Produces fruit on two year and older wood. Long ripening season. Holds well on the bushes. Remains productive in partial shade. Self pollinating. Excellent bird forage and windbreak plant. Most widely grown red currant. Ripens during July. Zones 2-8. Developed at the University of Minnesota. Introduced in 1933.

Golden Currant

Ribes Aureum. Smooth, tasty, yellow to reddish black berries. Useful for food, wildlife, hedges, lower story windbreak and bees. Makes very good raisins if left to dry unpicked. Moderately spreading, thornless, deciduous shrub with graceful arching branches. Grows 4-7 feet tall and 2-4 feet wide. Small leathery maple shaped bright green leaves. Nice Autumn color. Fragrant, yellow flowers in May are excellent bee forage. Native to the northern Rockies. Ripens in Early August. Requires 15 inch minimum annual precipitation. Zones 2-7.

White Imperial

Loose clusters of beautiful white translucent fruit with pink blush. Fruit size varies from medium to large. Seeds show through the flesh and skin looking somewhat brownish in color. Riches and sweetest flavor of all currants. Similar to red currants in size and hardiness. Ripens in mid july. Zones 3-8. Very Old variety of unknown origin. Introduced in 1895.