| Description | A hardy parking lot plant that is commonly used for hedges. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (RI-bez)(al-PIE-num) |
| Plant Type | All Plants, Shrubs Deciduous |
| Hardiness Zone | 2-7 |
| Sunlight | full to shade |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Flowers | The plants are dioecious (male and female plants)a nd the flowers are not showy. |
| Fruit | Occasionally groups of female plants will produce some small red berries. |
| Leaves | simple, alternate and 3 to 5 lobed with a dentate margin. Twigs are a light brown. The species plant can suffer from many foliage problems. |
| Dimensions | Reaches 3-6 feet tall with an equal or greater spread. Potential size is seldom seen since it is usually pruned into a hedge or small shrub. |
| Maintenance | pruning to keep to size |
| Propagation | cuttings |
| Cultivar Origin | Introduced in 1588 |
| Misc Facts | Ribes is derived from the Arabic or Persian name "ribas" meaning acid tasting. |
| Author's Notes | I drive past a bank that has a long hedge of Alpine Current. Many sections of the hedge hold their foliage color throughout the summer, where as many other areas suffer leaf problems and become yellow and defoliate early. Might be better to use some of the more resistant cultivars such as Green Mound, Green Jeans, etc |
| Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #226-Shrubs and Vines for American Gardens (Donald Wyman) |
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