Thimbleberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Thimbleberry vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Rubus parviflorus

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Thimbleberry

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.

Thimbleberry is an ornamental shrub with large, green maple-like-leaves. Flowers are attractive, fragrant, and turn into red-raspberry-like berries. The berries are good for jams, cakes, breads, muffins etc. If you remove the berry, the core resembles a thimble, giving this shrub its namesake.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Thimbleberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 4a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: any
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Foliage: Soft leaves up to 8 inches across
Fall colour: gold
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Flowers: white, showy
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black currants, edible
Berries: edible, red, similar to raspberries
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, ON
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant
Other Names: thimbleberry, western thimbleberry