Ribes aureum, Golden Current

Golden currant is a small to medium-sized deciduous shrub with golden spring blooms. The flowers and fruit of this fragrant and attractive shrub make the golden currant a valuable wildlife plant. Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees are attracted to the golden yellow trumpet-shaped flowers. The fruit is an important food source for many bird species as well as small mammals like squirrels and chipmunks. It gets 5 to 10 ft tall and is winter deciduous.

Golden currant is very easy to grow and spreads readily, making it a good choice for revegetation, hedging, and groundcover applications. It grows best in moist conditions and benefits from partial shade, irrigation, and mulching in drier areas. On the coast, it prefers full sun. Inland, it prefers part shade and does best when surrounded by mulch. It grows well under oaks and in mixed chaparral. Once established, golden currant needs no special care.