Native Plant of the Day

Every so often I will be posting about a great native plant that is also bird-friendly.  To start us off, we have the Flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum)!

This beautiful dediduous shrub is native to the Western coast of North America, from BC down through California.  It needs part shade or full sun and is fast-growing and also drought tolerant (not that water is a problem in Vancouver!).  It has early flowers that will attract birds to your yard, especially hummers that will visit to drink the nectar.  To be the most effective, choose a currant that has red flowers; most nectar-drinking birds are most attracted to that colour!

Happy gardening!