shrub

Flowering currant

Ribes sanguineum

Climate-suitable non-native

Growing guidance

Horticultural figures below are practitioner estimates for planning, pending expert review. The botanical record further down is sourced and verifiable.

Current-climate suitability

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Future-climate resilience

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Sun

Sun or shade

Soil moisture

average

Heat tolerance

Up to about 36°C

Cold tolerance

Down to about -25°C

Waterlogging tolerance

3/5

Drought tolerance

3/5

Mature size

1.5–2.5 m tall, 2 m spread

Seasonal interest

Early spring · Rose pink

Maintenance

low

Wildlife supported

General wildlife value 4/5 (verified species relationships are shown only where structured data exists)

Known risks or warnings

Berries unpalatable; foliage has a strong scent.

Toxicity: mild

Verified botanical record

Accepted scientific name: Ribes sanguineum Pursh
Family: Grossulariaceae (Saxifragales)
Rank and status: species · accepted
GBIF record: Taxon 2986130

Recorded as introduced in: Belgium, Brussels-Capital Region, Channel Is., Czechia-Slovakia, England, Finland, Flemish Region, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Northern Ireland and 9 further regions

Ranges are exactly as recorded in the GBIF source checklists and may be incomplete for widely cultivated species.

Ribes sanguineum, the flowering currant, redflower currant, red-flowering currant, or red currant is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Grossulariaceae. It is native to the western United States and Canada.

Description from Wikipedia — Ribes sanguineum (CC BY-SA), shortened and unedited in substance.

Native status and geographic context

United Kingdom: climate-suitable
United States: native
Australia: climate-suitable

Native status is never inferred from climate similarity. Plants restricted or invasive in a jurisdiction are excluded from recommendations there.

Mark Robinson from Williton, UK · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where to buy

Real retailers serving UK. Garden Forward publishes no prices of its own — each link opens the retailer's own search results, where their current price and stock are shown.

Search Sarah Raven for Ribes sanguineum
Perennials, bulbs and seed, delivered across the UK.
Search Farmer Gracy for Ribes sanguineum
Bulbs and perennials shipped direct from Dutch growers.
Search Ashridge Nurseries for Ribes sanguineum
Bare-root trees, hedging and fruit in the dormant season.
Search Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants for Ribes sanguineum
Specialist hardy perennial nursery.
Search Marshalls Garden for Ribes sanguineum
Fruit, vegetable plants and seed.

No affiliate relationship is in place with these retailers, so nothing here earns Garden Forward a commission. Search links checked 2026-09-17. Availability of a species is never a reason it is recommended.

Companion palettes

Not currently in a sample palette.

Climate-resilient alternatives

Data sources

Taxonomy and native range: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Species description: Wikipedia — Ribes sanguineum
Photograph: Mark Robinson from Williton, UK · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Growing guidance: Practitioner horticultural estimates pending expert review

Botanical record checked 2026-09-17 · growing guidance last reviewed 2026-06-01 · confidence high

Demonstration data. Climate, plant and retailer records shown here are realistic samples awaiting horticultural validation and live data connections.