Ribes Sanguineum................Flowering Currant

Nice early flowering shrub very easy to grow..bees and hoverflies love it.

The name Ribes is said to be derived from the Persian or Arabic word ribas, meaning acid-tasting; sanguineum means blood-red.

• Garden care: In late summer remove any dead, diseased or crossing branches to maintain a healthy, open framework and reduce the flowered shoots to a strong, lower bud. Prune specimens grown as hedges immediately after flowering. After pruning apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted garden compost around the base of the plant.

Plants can be left unpruned, but for the best performance it is worth cutting the branches that have flowered back to a strong pair of buds just after they have bloomed.