Golden Currant

Year-round

Golden currant grows in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel foothills and canyons around Los Angeles, and Calscape lists it as native to that part of the Southern California chaparral region. It handles clay or sandy soil, wants full sun near the coast and part shade inland, and only needs occasional deep watering once it is established. Golden yellow flowers open in winter and spring and draw hummingbirds and native bees, and ripe berries feed birds through summer. True currants in the Ribes genus, unlike the small dried Zante currants sold in stores, are not linked to the kidney toxicity seen in grape and raisin poisoning in dogs.

• Plant in full sun along the coast, part shade inland, in well drained soil.
• Water deeply every one to two weeks the first year, then cut back to an occasional soak once established.
• Expect winter and spring flowers that draw hummingbirds and native bees, plus berries birds eat through summer.
• This is a true Ribes currant, not the dried Zante currant linked to dog poisoning cases.

Fall

Leaves turn a burgundy color and drop through fall, and this is also when the fungus that causes blister rust can linger in fallen leaf litter under a golden currant.

• Rake up and remove fallen leaves instead of leaving them under the shrub, to lower the chance of blister rust returning next year.
• Fall's mild, cooling weather in the Los Angeles area is also a good time to plant a new golden currant or transplant one.
• Skip heavy pruning now and wait for the plant to go fully dormant in winter.

Cleaning up dropped leaves in fall keeps the bed looking tidy for anyone walking by.

Winter

Winter is when golden currant starts blooming in the Los Angeles area, with clusters of golden yellow flowers opening while the shrub is still bare or just leafing out. It is also the best time to do any real pruning.

• Prune in late winter before flowering starts, taking out old or crowded stems rather than shearing the whole shrub.
• Avoid pruning in late fall, since it pushes tender new growth right when the plant should be resting.
• Cut back watering to about once a month, since Los Angeles winter rain usually covers the rest.

Early yellow blooms in the dead of winter give the front yard color when most other plants look bare.

Spring

Spring is when golden currant finishes blooming and pushes new leafy growth around Los Angeles. The tubular yellow flowers that opened in late winter keep drawing hummingbirds into spring, and the soft new shoots are the part aphids go after first.

• Watch new growth for aphid clusters and hose them off before they spread.
• Hold off on major pruning until after flowering finishes so you do not cut off the current bloom.
• Keep watering regularly while the shrub pushes new leaves, then taper off as summer approaches.

The yellow spring flowers and hummingbird visits make this a good front yard accent while it is in bloom.

Summer

Summer in the Los Angeles area is dry heat, and this is where golden currant's chaparral roots show. Once established it wants very little water, and a deep soak roughly twice a month is plenty even in the warmest months.

• Soak deeply about twice a month in summer rather than watering shallowly and often.
• Give inland plantings afternoon shade if the leaves start looking scorched or thin.
• Ripening berries in early summer feed birds, so leave some fruit on the shrub rather than picking it clean.

Year-round

Golden currant is a tough, low-water shrub that settles in well around Durango once it has a season to root in.

• Golden currant is native to Colorado's foothill and canyon habitats, and Durango's elevation and soils fall well within the shrub's natural range.
• Once it is established, it needs very little supplemental water and handles alkaline soils and dry stretches without much fuss.
• It grows into a loose, arching shrub, usually a few feet to around ten feet tall, spreads slowly by underground runners, and tolerates hard shearing if you want to keep its shape tidy.
• Fragrant, clove scented yellow flowers open in spring and the plant is an early nectar source for hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
• If there is a white pine growing nearby, know that golden currant is an alternate host for white pine blister rust, a fungal disease of pines. It is worth a quick check with a local extension office before planting it right next to susceptible pines.

Its manageable mature size and tidy response to shearing make it an easy, HOA-friendly choice for a foundation bed or informal border, though its light suckering habit means it benefits from a defined bed edge to keep it from wandering.

Fall

Fall brings leaf color, the first frost, and another good planting window for golden currant.

• Leaves turn yellow to red before dropping, usually around the time Durango sees its first frost in late September.
• Once summer heat breaks and before the ground freezes, fall is a good time to plant or move golden currant.
• Taper off watering as the plant goes dormant. An established shrub does not need extra water once its leaves are down.
• If you want to prune for shape, wait until the plant is fully dormant later in the season rather than cutting it back now.

Winter

Winter is the dormant season and the best low-stress time for structural pruning.

• Golden currant is fully deciduous and sits dormant through Durango's cold winters, and is hardy well past the typical winter lows here.
• Late winter, while the plant is still dormant and before new growth starts, is the best low-stress time to prune out dead, crossing, or overly long branches. This shrub tolerates hard shearing well.
• A couple inches of mulch over the root zone can buffer the freeze and thaw swings common at this elevation, though an established plant does not need extra winter water.
• Hold off pruning if a warm stretch tempts new growth early. A late freeze can still damage buds that break too soon.

Spring

Spring is bloom time for golden currant and a good window to plant a new one in Durango.

• Clove scented yellow flowers open as the leaves come in, generally through April and into May at this elevation, and draw in hummingbirds and early bees.
• Late frosts are common here into May, so a newly planted shrub's tender new growth can get nipped. Established plants shrug this off, but a young transplant does better with a cover on nights a hard freeze is expected.
• Once the ground has thawed, spring is a good time to put in a new golden currant from a nursery pot.
• Water new plantings regularly through spring while roots are still establishing, then taper off once the shrub is through its first full growing season.

Summer

Summer is when the berries ripen and this shrub needs the least help from you.

• Fruit ripens from green to yellow to deep purple through early and mid summer, and birds and other wildlife will clean up whatever is left on the branch.
• Once established, let the soil dry out between waterings. This shrub handles Durango's dry summer stretches on its own and mainly needs extra water during an unusually long hot, dry spell.
• If Durango gets its usual late summer monsoon rain, ease off supplemental watering on the days it pours so the roots are not sitting in soggy soil.
• The shrub can look a bit rough after fruiting. That is normal and not a signal to prune. Save any shaping cuts for when it is dormant.