Since the red-flowering currants (Ribes sanguineum) are in full-bloom here in southern Washington, I thought I'd share this image I took last week at the Lewis and Clark Garden in Portland, Ore. This small garden features an array of native plants that are recorded in the journals of Lewis and Clark. Of this particular plant, Clark wrote, "The red flowering currant is found here (along the Columbia river) in considerable quantities on the upland." This is a highly ornamental plant when in bloom. The blue-black berries are reported to be rather tasteless, but I haven't tried them.
Very true! In fact, the interpretive sign at the garden makes note of its popularity as a cultivated shrub.
