Thanks for continuing to try to help me solve this mystery! Konrad, the last picture is indeed a Crandall black currant, popping up not far from its parent. About 3 years ago I had two of these plants planted at the base of the low stone wall you can barely make out in the first (top of this thread) picture. I took them out and moved them to a different place in my yard where they would have more space. So it's possible that a little piece of root left behind grew up through the dirt (our neighborhood is very hilly - both north-south and east-west, so ground elevations change constantly in all directions) ... except that these volunteers look so different from both the gooseberries that they're next to, as well as the Crandall. The biggest difference is the size and appearance of the leaves. Flora, I would LOVE to let these volunteers keep growing (which is why I didn't pull the two biggest ones last year when I first spotted them), but I'm worried about crowding the gooseberries. They (the volunteers) didn't flower at all last year (no surprise, given their age). If they are, in fact, red currants, that's a mystery too because nobody around us grows any type of currants (except for my Crandalls). I guess it's very possible that birds came to eat the gooseberries and in the process deposited seeds while they were busy eating (nature's input and output!). But again, seeds of what??? The Pacific Northwest is prime berry country, (and I do have raspberries and blackberries in a different part of the yard). But these mystery plants look like nothing else in my yard.

sorry I didn' tnotice this post earlier. As far as currants go, it depends upon your preference. I love the red ones and the white ones are ok, but given the flavor of the black ones I had this year I personally wouldn't give them any valuable space in my garden. Red Lake....most common red currant, reliable, good tasting, I've had few problems and would recomend it. White Imperial...ok, not as tart as the red (above) but not powerfully sweet either. I've twice had to spray for currant worms (try asking your local garden center for something to get rid of currant worms, they were clueless for me). Leaves seem more prone to powdery mildew than the red. I can't recall the black I planted, but I will likely remove it next year (once I've bought something else to replace it). Gooseberry....Hinnomaki Gold (something like that) seems to be the best reviewed (sold out when I tried getting it last year),there is a H Red as well. Invicta (what I got instead) grew well, hasn't fruited yet. Pixwell (always be wary of a fruit that brags about picking it rather than how it tastes) grows well, roots readily and mine has fruited well, but the fruit are quite tart and would likely be better cooked than raw. Blackberry....go with triple crown if you can find it. Everyone raves about it and it is thornless to boot. ~Chills

Earlier in the year, these were available at Home Depot Centres, even other box stores with seasonal garden centres. Now you'd probably find them in your local garden centres like Sheridan, or Fiesta Garden, or Humber Nurseries (most likely to have these).

I snooped around the internet and never did find a definitive site that listed if Ribes or Rubrus were legal in SC. I guess if your state is listed at the end of the plant description on any bush web catalog that would tell you. When I first heard about the restrictions I thought they sounded kinda harsh but I went along with them. Now I have read and re-read various articles online about the history of the problem and it all makes me mad enough to plant a million of them in my yard. I understand the importance of the lumber industry to North Carolina. I respect all that it involves. I can comprehend the danger that a disease can cause when it spreads. But this problem was NOT caused by backyard berry growers - it was caused by shortsighted lumber industry people importing infected pine seedlings from Europe. And then, to top things off, they formed teams that went throughout the pine forest across the US and destroyed the NATIVE gooseberries and currants!!!!!!!!!!!!! all in the name of covering up their mistake. A whole lot of wildlife depends on those berries but wildlife isn't as important as furniture making or two by fours. This is as bad as the Canada Goose problem - which also has a non-natural cause (just thank the US Wildlife Dept the next time you step in goose poop at the lake). Shortsided government. Now, over time, both pine trees and gooseberries and currants have developed various degrees of resistance to White Pine Blister or whatever the disease is now called. This resistance came from nature, not a government lab. Some states recognize this fact and have lifted the ban on Ribes & Rubrus (Gooseberries and Currants). Some states lifted the ban because all the efforts to eradicate the disease didn't work. North Carolina stills bans them. Shortsighted government.