Currant affairs

The flowering currant Ribes sanguineum comes to mind - every April you can depend on it to put on a brilliant display of pink blossoms, alongside the yellow flowers of forsythia.

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It's an easy going deciduous shrub that’s happy in most well drained soils from acidic to alka-line. You'll get the best flowers in full sunshine but it does tolerate some shade.

The pretty small rose-pink flowers hang in drooping clusters and provide welcome early sustenance for pollinators.

These are followed by purple fruits - not as tasty as black or red currants but they will be eaten by your local bird population.