Plant record · Shrub
Is Wax Currant deer resistant?
Ribes cereum
Mostly. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- Type
- Shrub
- Light
- Part shade
- Height
- 72–72 in
- Bloom
- Spring and Summer
- Maintenance
- Moderate
- Native range
- 15 US states
Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.
About Wax Currant
You would not plant it for looks. Rounded and spineless, three to six feet and about as wide, small leathery lobed leaves, pink tubular flowers in spring. What recommends it is the browse rating: the Forest Service calls it only fair to poor for deer, which is close to the strongest thing that can honestly be said for any currant.
The obstacle here is not horticultural. Wax currant is an alternate host for white pine blister rust, and where five-needled pines are part of the landscape the Wildflower Center's advice is simply not recommended. Ask before you buy, because in some districts the answer is no.
Where you can grow it, it asks for almost nothing: dry, open, rocky or sandy ground, sun or part shade, a high tolerance of lime, no feeding. The berries are orange-red, edible, and of considerably more interest to birds than to you. Fall color is a clean yellow.
Similar to Wax Currant
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Antelope BitterbrushPurshia tridentataSeldom damaged
- Anthony Waterer SpireaSpiraea x bumaldaZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Apache PlumeFallugia paradoxaZones 6–10Seldom damaged
- Armstrong JuniperJuniperus chinensis 'Armstrongii'Zones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn OliveElaeagnus umbellataZones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn SageSalvia greggiiZones 6–9Seldom damaged
Common questions about Wax Currant
- Is Wax Currant deer resistant?
- Wax Currant (Ribes cereum) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged, step 2 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- Does Wax Currant grow in shade?
- Yes. Wax Currant tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Wax Currant get?
- Mature height is roughly 72–72 in. Growth rate is moderate.
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