Red Flowering Current



I've seen this shrub around Brighton and it has really grown on me. Not literally, of course. It is called Ribes sanguineum, known as Red Flowering Current. Looks great at this time of year and sweet fragrance. Here is the Wikipedia info...

'It is a deciduous shrub growing to 4m tall. The bark is dark brownish-grey with prominent paler brown lenticels. The leaves are 2-7 cm long and broad, palmately lobed with five lobes; when young in spring, they have a strong resinous scent. The flowers are produced in early spring at the same time as the leaves emerge, on racemes 3-7 cm long of 5-30 flowers; each flower is 5-10 mm diameter, with five red or pink petals. The fruit is dark purple oval berry 1 cm long, edible but with an insipid taste.

It is a very popular garden shrub, grown for its brightly colored and scented flowers in early spring. Numerous cultivars have been selected with flowers ranging from white to dark red. It was introduced into cultivation by David Douglas.

Named cultivars include:

* 'King Edward VII', with red flowers
* 'Pulborough Scarlet', also with red flowers
* 'White Icicle', with white flowers'

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