Ninebark vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Ninebark vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Physocarpus opulifolius

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

CUSTOM GROW

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Ninebark

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.

Ninebark is a small, multi-stemmed shrub, that is used to add texture or colour to any yard.

It features flaky, cinnamon-brown bark, attractive white flowers, and long, maple-like leaves.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Ninebark 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: full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: long
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Flowers: small white clusters
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black currants, edible
Berries: small pink to purple berry like follicles
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant