Common Snowberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Common Snowberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Symphoricarpos albus

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Common Snowberry
Ben Sarek Black Currant

Common Snowberry is a small deciduous shrub with characteristic white to pink flowers and clusters of white fruit.

This North American native species is very adaptable, and can be used for erosion control in riparian and restoration areas. Snowberry's fruit attracts wildlife, and livestock can consume the berries without issue.

Ben Sarek Black Currant is a compact, high-yielding Black Currant cultivar, making it ideal for smaller gardens and easy berry picking. The large clusters of flavourful, sweet-tart berries ripen in mid-summer and are perfect for fresh eating, preserves, baked goods, and liqueurs. Plants may start producing some berries after two years, reaching full production in about four to five.

Developed by the Scottish Crop Research Institute, Ben Sarek Black Currant is resistant to powdery mildew and moderately resistant to white pine blister rust. It is self-fertile, meaning it does not require cross-pollination from another variety to produce fruit.

Common Snowberry Quick Facts

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium

Toxicity: berries toxic to humans

Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Bark: red-brown shredded bark
Flowers: pink to white flowers in spring
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: white waxy berries
Berries: black currants, edible
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NT
Other Names: common snowberry
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant