Highbush Cranberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Highbush Cranberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Viburnum opulus var. americanum (trilobum)

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Ben Sarek Black Currant
Highbush Cranberry

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.

Highbush Cranberry produces attractive white flowers in late June and bears edible fruit that matures to a bright red colour in the late summer.

This shrub, native to much of Canada, is fast growing, and its fruit can be eaten raw or cooked into a sauce.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Highbush Cranberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 4 m (13 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 2.7 m (9 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Flowers: white clusters
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black currants, edible
Berries: edible red berries
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


In row spacing: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant
Other Names: american cranberrybush, american cranberrybush viburnum, high bush cranberry, kalyna