'Brocklebankii'
Golden Currant
"When the quiet with a ring of pearl shall wed the earth,
And the scarlet berries burn dark by the stars in the pool;
Oh, it's lost & deep I'll be amid the Danaan mirth,
While the heart of the earth is full."
-"A. E."
(George William Russell, 1867‚1935)
(George William Russell, 1867‚1935)
We obtained a Golden Currant (Ribes sanguineum 'Brocklebankii') from Heronswood nursery, started from a seed in 2001, & planted it in our garden in May 2004. It had taken two full years in greenhouse conditions to become about a ten inch shrub, so we prepared ourselves for it to be vastly more slow-growing than out other two Flowering Currants ( 'King Edward VII' red flowering currant & 'White Icicle' white flowering currant). 'Brocklebankii' will eventually grows three to five feet, less than half the size of the wild flowering currant.
Young leaves on 'Brocklebankii' are golden-yellow, aging in summer to chartreuse. The pale leaves are more sensitive to excessive sunlight & heat than are flowering currents with green leaves, so it prefers a bit of shade during the day.
The perfect partial-shade position can be a puzzle, since it does need good sun to flower well, but the golden leaves & pale bark will sunburn if not protected from from too much light exposure through hottest days of summer. It needs regular watering even though it is surprisingly drought tolerant when well established. Our little start was rather prostrate in the direction of its growth. Finding a good location for it where it gave a pleasing impression while still tiny, but where it would still fit nicely when it matured, was an additional puzzle. I finally placed it in a semi-shade perennial garden, leaning its half-prostrate main section over a black rock. The golden leaves against the black jade looked quite nice even for such a small thing. As it matures, it will merely be getting taller than nearby perennials.
Pendant clusters of flowers are pale rose-pink in late winter or early spring. Flowers form just as leaves are emerging. Late spring & early summer fruit is black. The Royal Horticulatural Society bestowed upon 'Brocklebankii' the Award of Garden Merit.Although the species is native of the Pacific Northwest, this cultivar was developed in the UK, where it is a much more common nursery offering than it has been in the United States.