Manzanita and Currant

Check out the manzanita —in full bloom— and the pink-flowering currant (just starting) at the Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce garden.   The soft pink pendants of the pink-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) are a favorite of bees and hummingbirds and an especially important nectar source for our year-round resident, Anna’s hummingbird, which can be nesting as early as December.  CalFlora nursery carries many beautiful varieties of this semi-deciduous and airy shrub. “Phil’s” favorite, featured in their April newsletter, is the dark pink ‘Tranquillo Ridge’, a selection from Marin County.

  

Nancy Bauer, Habitat Corridor Project Board President and
Author: The California Wildlife Habitat Garden: How to Attract Bees, Butterflies, Birds, and Other Animals (UC Press)