Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry) vs Canada Plum - TreeTime.ca

Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry) vs Canada Plum

Hippophae rhamnoides l.

Prunus nigra

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry)
Canada Plum

Sea Buckthorn, aka Seaberry, is a nitrogen fixing shrub that produces attractive berries high in vitamin C.

While we can't confirm claims that the berries are effective in treating various ailments, many people believe consuming the berries helps with arthritis, infections, and asthma, among other things.

Sea Buckthorn plants have attractive pale silvery-green leaves, dense branches, and large thorns, people like to grow in ornamental hedges or as a first row in a shelterbelt.

Note: Sea Buckthorn is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Both are required for fruit production, though only female plants bear fruit. A plant’s sex typically cannot be identified until its third or fourth year. Our seedlings are too young to determine their sex.

Canada Plum is a cold-hardy wild plum native to North America with small red fruit. They ripen in mid to late summer, with bitter, astringent skin surrounding sweet, slightly acidic flesh that clings to the stone. While some enjoy eating the plums fresh, they are more commonly used for baking and preserves. It is considered a universal pollinizer for other plum varieties and is often used for grafting or as a rootstock.

White to pink flowers appear in spring, often before the leaves, providing an early source of nectar and pollen for native bees and other pollinators. Birds and other wildlife also feed on the fruit, adding to its ecological value. Canada Plum can grow as a small tree or large, multi-stemmed shrub. It is well suited to a variety of projects, including fruit orchards for cross-pollination, as well as pollinator plantings, naturalization, and restoration projects.

Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry) Quick Facts

Canada Plum Quick Facts

Zone: 2b
Zone: 2b
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: high
Suckering: high


Foliage: slender silvery-green leaves
Fall colour: attractive yellow, gold
Bark: grey and scaly with age
Flowers: white
Fruit: under 1 inch round yellow fruits with red blush to completely red, tart skin with sweet flesh
Berries: small, edible
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no

In row spacing: 0.9 - 1.2 m (3 - 4 ft)

Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Native to: MB, ON, QC, NB
Other Names: sallowthorn, sandthorn, seaberry
Other Names: american plum, black plum, canada plum, horse plum, wild plum