Golden Currant

Golden Currant is a beautiful native shrub with fragrant golden yellow flowers, which it is named after. The bright yellow flowers are delightfully showy in spring, appearing in clusters and filling the air with a sweet fragrance.

Golden Currant also offers delicious edible berries. The fruit is mild, juicy, and absolutely delicious, with very little of the tartness often associated with currants. The berries begin green and ripen through yellow, red, and purple shades to dark purple or nearly black, reaching about 1.5 cm in diameter. They can be enjoyed fresh or used for jams, jellies, pies, and other preserves. Golden Currant is also a very productive shrub, often producing abundant crops of fruit.

Native to parts of western Canada, including Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, Golden Currant naturally grows in grasslands, along riverbanks and coulees, and around open woodland and forest edges. It is adaptable to a range of soils and grows well in full sun to partial shade. It can slowly spread by suckers to form a larger thicket, which can be an advantage in naturalized plantings, hedges, shelterbelts, and wildlife gardens. Its flowers attract pollinators, while the berries are enjoyed by birds and small mammals.

Hardiness Zone: 2

Height at Maturity: 1.5 meter (5 feet)

Spread: 1.2 meter (4 feet)

Soil Preference: Well drained

Light Exposure: Full sun, partial shade

Pollination: Self-fertile 

Latin Name: Ribes aureum