Labrador Tea vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Labrador Tea vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Rhododendron groenlandicum (Ledum groenlandicum)

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Labrador Tea
Ben Sarek Black Currant

Labrador Tea is slow-growing evergreen shrub native to the boreal forests of Canada.

It thrives in wet, swampy conditions.

Labrador Tea has narrow, leathery, dark green leaves, topped by a cluster of white flowers in the spring. It is a perfect ornamental shrub for boggy, wet areas of your property.

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.

Labrador Tea Quick Facts

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: any
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium

Toxicity: slightly toxic if ingested

Foliage: leathery, orange undersides, evergreen
Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Fall colour: rust orange
Flowers: white, fragrant
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


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant