Alpine currant
Ribes alpinum · Grossulariaceae
A dense, twiggy shrub with small, lobed leaves that come out very early in spring. It is extremely hardy, grows in sun or full shade, and takes shearing well.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 5 ft wide
- Zones
- 2 to 7
- Light
- Full sun to shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around alpine currant
The planner designed this bed around alpine currant when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why alpine currant stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Alpine currant × 1, green leaves
- 2 Bloody cranesbill × 10, pink
- 3 Leadwort × 19, blue
- 4 Swamp milkweed × 4, white
- 5 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 5, purple
- 6 Blue wood aster × 3, lavender
- 7 Hellebore 'Ivory Prince' × 5, cream
- 8 Snowdrop × 7, white
- 9 Surprise lily × 12, pink
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to swamp milkweed (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, spring to frost. They cover the 9 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 7 of the 8 groups (88%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 49% of the visual weight and the right half 51%. The flowering is at its height from early August, with 4 kinds out together.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 2 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where alpine currant goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
Not showy, but one of the most reliable hedge plants for the North, and one of the few that makes a dense hedge in shade.
- Hedges in cold climates
- Hedges in shade
- A background for flowers
What to plant with alpine currant
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Hosta: bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
- Daylily: adds the flowers, late June to early August; low enough (2½ ft) to stand in front of it.
- Lady's mantle: adds the flowers, late May to early July; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about alpine currant
Does alpine currant need sun or shade?
Alpine currant grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun), part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants ordinary well-drained soil, of average fertility, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does alpine currant grow in?
USDA zones 2 to 7. It is hardy to zone 2, which means it survives winter nights down to about −40 °F (−40 °C).
Above zone 7 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should alpine currant be planted?
3½ ft (100 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 5 ft (150 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many alpine currant plants do I need?
At 3½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 3 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, planted singly: it is the bed's structure, and everything else is arranged around it.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is alpine currant poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like alpine currant?
Alpine currant comes from Northern and central Europe, Russia. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Red twig dogwood 'Arctic Fire': the same job in a bed; 12 in shorter, wants moist soil.
- Inkberry 'Shamrock': the same job in a bed; 12 in shorter, fine leaves, not medium.
- Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant': the same job in a bed; 12 in shorter, fine leaves, not medium.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat alpine currant?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What does alpine currant look like in winter?
Alpine currant drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is alpine currant good for bees and butterflies?
Alpine currant is visited by butterflies and songbirds.
More Ribes
- Flowering currant Ribes sanguineum
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 5 ft (150 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3½ ft (100 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 2 to 7
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade, shade
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Grossulariaceae
- Comes from
- Northern and central Europe, Russia
- Attracts
- Butterflies, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought, salt, deep shade
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.