Variegated Dogwood vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Variegated Dogwood vs American Black Currant

Ribes americanum

Cornus alba argenteo-marginata

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

American Black Currant
Variegated Dogwood

American Black Currant is a native deciduous shrub known for its clusters of small black berries that ripen in mid-to-late summer. The berries are edible and have long been used for fresh eating, preserves, and baking. They provide food for birds and mammals, and their fragrant spring flowers attract bees and other pollinators.

American Black Currant’s foliage serves as a host plant for butterfly species such as the Green Comma and Gray Comma, and its dense branching offers cover for wildlife. The shrub has traditionally been planted in shelterbelts, riparian buffers, and restoration projects.

Variegated Dogwood is a small shrub that is often used in the first row of a shelterbelt, as a hedge, or for soil stabilization projects. It has the same distinctive red bark, white flowers, and berries as Red Osier Dogwood.

The key difference between the two is the leaves. Where Red Osier's leaves are green throughout, Variegated Dogwood has a white outline around each leaf, giving this shrub a distinctive look.

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Variegated Dogwood Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 2.7 m (9 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: any
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: variegated white edges
Fall colour: gold to red
Flowers: small, yellowish bell-shaped, in clusters
Bloom time: spring to early summer
Berries: black, edible
Flavor: tart, variable
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB
Other Names: eastern black currant, wild black currant
Other Names: tatarian dogwood