Catalina Currant

Description

Catalina Currant aka Island Perfume (Ribes viburnifolium)

One of our favorites at FlannelBush Gardens! Perfect for dry shade, under oaks, and great as a ground cover. It has an intoxicating aroma, attractive evergreen foliage, and pretty reddish stems. One of the best groundcovers for shady mountain woodland gardens!

Small clusters of rose pink flowers bloom in late winter to mid spring, followed by small red fruits later in the spring.  This moderate to fast-growing shrub has an open wide-spreading form, growing 3 to 4 feet tall and spreading to 6 feet wide.  It may be pruned to restrain its sprawling tendencies

It will grow in part shade to shade, is adaptable to various soil types and takes occasional to moderate water. It is a good choice for planting underneath an oak canopy, growing low to the ground and extending long reddish stems horizontally where the tips may root and establish new growth centers.  The plant yields small red fruits later in the spring that attract birds. Catalina currant hosts a large number of butterflies and moths. Hummingbirds and insects are attracted to the flowers.

This is a good alternative to Southern Honeysuckle for planting under oaks as Catalina Currant, or “island perfume” is safe to plant under oaks.