Silver Buffalo Berry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Silver Buffalo Berry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Shepherdia argentea

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Silver Buffalo Berry

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.

Silver Buffalo Berry is a cold hardy, ornamental shrub that is commonly used in the first row of shelterbelts instead of caragana or lilac. It features subtle yellow flowers, smooth grey bark, and red fruit. On occasion orange fruit is produced and rarely a yellow fruit. Please note: we regularly collect the rare yellow and orange fruit to use for our seed source.

Long-lived and slow growing, Silver Buffalo Berry is commonly found around sloughs, in coulees, and on light soils across the prairies, and grows best in full sun.

Buyers can enjoy increased bird life to their property, as this shrub acts as a habitat plant. It is also commonly planted for its ornamental and winter interest. It is native to parts of central and western North America.

This species is also known as one of the more salt-tolerant species for those with saline soils.

Note: this berry has mixed reviews when fresh, but makes a desirable jam or jelly with what is described as a clove and pear taste.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Silver Buffalo Berry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 5 m (18 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Foliage: green, slender, silvery
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Flowers: white
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black currants, edible
Berries: deep red, edible
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: mid-summer
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, SK, MB
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant
Other Names: buffalo shepherdia, silver buffaloberry, thorny buffaloberry