Golden Currant vs Bob Gordon Elderberry - TreeTime.ca

Golden Currant vs Bob Gordon Elderberry

Ribes aureum

Sambucus canadensis Bob Gordon

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Golden Currant
Bob Gordon Elderberry

Golden Currant produces berries for jams, jellies, sauces and even pemmican. This currant bush is very dense, allowing for use as a hedge, windbreak, or wildlife habitat.

This plant is also a very popular rootstock to graft popular red and white currant varieties to. The resulting plants are taller, more productive, and easier to harvest.

Bob Gordon Elderberry is a Black Elderberry cultivar that produces berries that are larger and sweeter than other varieties, making it one of the top cultivars. It produces large clusters of white flowers that turn into large clusters of dark purple to black berries. The berries are well-suited for baked goods, jams, jellies, and syrups. It was selected from the wild in Missouri.

The large berry clusters that the Bob Gordon Elderberry produces will often end up hanging downward. This makes it more difficult for birds to feed on the berries. If birds are a concern, this might be the right berry for you.

Black Elderberries are considered to be partially self-pollinating. So while they will still produce some berries without cross-pollination, planting with another variety will increase yields. Consider planting with Black Elderberry or Ranch Elderberry.

Warning: the seeds, stems, leaves, roots, and uncooked berries are toxic to humans when eaten in quantity. Berries should be cooked to make them safe for human consumption.

Golden Currant Quick Facts

Bob Gordon Elderberry Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: high


Toxicity: leaves, stems, and uncooked berries are poisonous to humans
Fall colour: reddish purple
Flowers: yellow
Flowers: fragrant, white
Berries: glossy black berries
Berries: black
Harvest: late summer to early fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: buffalo currant, clove currant, fragrant golden currant, golden flowering currant, spicebush
Other Names: bob gordon american elderberry, bob gordon black elderberry