Evergreen currant

Ribes viburnifolium

Description

Evergreen currant is a rambling evergreen shrub with long arching branches and glossy deep green foliage that grows 2-3 ft. tall and spreads 5-7 ft. wide. Elliptical leaves have coarsely toothed margins and produce a spicy fragrance when crushed; tiny maroon flowers occur in early spring.

Evergreen currant is native to shaded slopes and canyons on Santa Catalina Island and within the Peninsular Ranges of San Diego County and Baja California. It grows with a sprawling habit that can establish new plants when its arching branches touch the ground and form roots in moist soils.

Evergreen currant is one of the best choices as an understory plant to California native oaks and is included in the Coast Live Oak Palette. It performs best in partial shade, tolerates many soil types and can endure moderate drought stress. Normal winter rains are needed to sustain robust seasonal growth before transitioning into dry summer conditions.

Plant Type: Shrub, Ground cover, Native
Foliage Character: Evergreen, Drought deciduous
Habit: Arching, Spreading, Sprawling, Mounding
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage Color: Dark green
Flower Color: Burgundy
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Moist soil, Loam, Deep soil, Clay
Exposure Adaptations: Morning sun, Moderate shade
Function: Fragrant foliage, Wildlife value, Residential spaces, Raised planters, Attracts butterflies, Parks and open space, Mass planting, Hummingbird plant, Grouped, Foundations, Foliage accent plant, Flowering accent plant, Commercial spaces, Borders, Banks, Background plant
Height: 5 ft. – 7 ft.
Width: 5 ft. – 7 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 1

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 3-4 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another 3-4 weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
If you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, it is best not to use the automatic weather adjusting features for plants in this category. While very useful for watering higher water demanding plants, those in this category have natural drought adaptations which mean they do not need to be watered more in warm weather. Using the weather adjusting features will result in either overwatering in summer or underwatering in fall and spring.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.

Evergreen currant is most often grown as a dense groundcover, so maintenance activities are focused on helping it maintain this form. Overall, it is a very low maintenance plant. Young plants can be pinched back to encourage dense growth. Occasionally vertical growth emerges from the more sprawling growth. These vertical shoots can be removed to maintain a cleaner more sprawling form (3). Plants will re-root along branches that touch the ground. This can be encouraged (leading to faster spreading of patches of the plant), by “pinning down” sprawling branches with drip irrigation staples (S). This plant requires significant overhead shade in inland gardens and will burn in direct summer sunlight. Lightly prune anytime to keep plant “in bounds” and off of paths, etc., but it is best done after spring flowering (6). References