We have a pair of stately ornamental red currant bushes that look stunning in the Spring with their vivid fuschia-coloured blossom. The “stately”, in this context also means, “rather large and overgrown”.

Anyway, it’s not just in the Spring when they look incredible, it’s also in the Autumn, when their green leaves begin to colour in a rather pretty way.

The wonderful way these leaves are turning may be due to any combination of

1. Leaf scorch
2. Chlorosis (our soil is on the alkaline-side)
3. Autumn
4. Potassium deficiency
5. Any other of the umpteen things that currant bushes seem to be susceptible to

Ignoring the reasons why, the colour in these leaves, with their purple-flecked brown margins, the border of yellow, flashes of reds and oranges while there is still a good amount of healthy green makes this one of the most striking plants we have in the garden at the moment.