Black Hawthorn vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Black Hawthorn vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Crataegus douglasii

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Ben Sarek Black Currant
Black Hawthorn

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.

Black Hawthorn is a versatile plant that is native to wetlands and other areas with moist soils, but can also tolerate dry soils. This plant can be grown as a short shrub, or a tree reaching 30 feet tall.

Black Hawthorn is valued for erosion control and attracting pollinators. It also makes an attractive flowering ornamental that can be planted as a specimen or pruned as a hedge. It is commonly used in shelterbelts.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Black Hawthorn Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 8 m (25 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 5 m (15 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: any
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Foliage: contains thorns
Fall colour: yellow to red
Bark: brown to gray
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Flowers: white
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black currants, edible
Berries: purplish-black pomes
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, ON
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant
Other Names: crataegus columbiana, douglas hawthorn, douglas' thornapple