Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry) vs Northern Gooseberry - TreeTime.ca

Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry) vs Northern Gooseberry

Ribes oxyacanthoides

Hippophae rhamnoides l.

Northern Gooseberry
Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry)

Northern Gooseberry is a small, ornamental quality native shrub with prickly stems. You can plant it anywhere you'd plant Prickly Rose or Common Wild Rose, such as your yard.

Most people find Northern Gooseberry berries a bit tart for significant fresh eating but they are good for baking, wine or jam.

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.

Northern Gooseberry Quick Facts

Sea Buckthorn (Seaberry) Quick Facts

Lowest Price: $10.99 - SAVE UP TO 27%
Lowest Price: $1.29 - SAVE UP TO 82%
Zone: 1a
Zone: 2b
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: any
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: high


Foliage: slender silvery-green leaves
Berries: purple or purplish black
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: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NL, YT, NT
Other Names: canada gooseberry, canadian gooseberry
Other Names: sallowthorn, sandthorn, seaberry