Yellow Twig Dogwood vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Yellow Twig Dogwood vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Cornus sericea flaviramea

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

CUSTOM GROW

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Yellow Twig Dogwood

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.

Yellow Twig Dogwood is a small deciduous shrub with attractive, bright yellow bark.

It features delicate white, star-shaped flowers and white fruit. It is often used as a screen, and its wide-spreading roots help stabilize areas experiencing soil erosion.

Yellow Twig Dogwood complements Red Osier Dogwood, and it is a great filler to add winter color to shrub and flower gardens.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Yellow Twig Dogwood Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: low
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Bark: golden yellow in fall/winter
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black currants, edible
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


In row spacing: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant