Ribes speciosum

A lovely plant which is a native of California and known for producing eye-catching, bright red, fuchsia-like, pendulous flowers in April. The lush green leaves are among the first to appear in spring and handsome red spines decorate the stems.

Ribes speciosum is an ornamental plant for a warm area or when trained on a sunny wall.

• Position: Warm in full sun or against a sunny wall.
• Soil: Any well drained, fertile soil.
• Hardiness: Somewhat hardy, this prefers shelter from cold winter winds.
• Flowering Period: April.
• Rate of Growth: Moderate.
• Habit: Ribes speciosum grows to be a medium sized shrub with arching branches.
  • Height: 1.5 - 2 m or a little larger against a wall
  • Spread: 1.5 - 2 m or a little larger against a wall

• Notes: In California hummingbirds visit this plant and pollinate it which may be why unless you are very fortunate, it rarely fruits in the UK.