Royal Purple Smokebush vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Royal Purple Smokebush vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Cotinus coggygria Royal Purple

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Royal Purple Smokebush

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.

Royal Purple Smokebush is an attractive and dramatic shrub. Mid-summer you'll notice feathery, purple-pink puffs of airy seed clusters that give the illusion of smoke. The contrast of these seed clusters against deep purple-red foliage will make Royal Purple Smokebush your new favorite shrub.

It is tolerant of clay soil, drought, and deer, making Royal Purple Smokebush a hardy addition to any yard. Try it in a hedge, shrub border, or as an accent shrub; regardless of how you use it, this shrub will be a head turner.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Royal Purple Smokebush Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 4a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 5 m (15 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: low
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Fall colour: Purple and scarlet red
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


Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant