Northern Bush Honeysuckle vs American Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Northern Bush Honeysuckle vs American Black Currant

Ribes americanum

Diervilla lonicera

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

American Black Currant
Northern Bush Honeysuckle

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.

The Northern Bush Honeysuckle is a small, dense, deciduous shrub. The trumpet-like yellow flowers bloom late spring to early summer. Dark green leaves turn yellow then red in the fall. The flower nectar has a sweet honey taste that can be sucked out of the flower.

Because of its aggressive suckering habit, the Northern Bush Honeysuckle makes a great hedge, shrub border, or thicket in a woodland garden.

American Black Currant Quick Facts

Northern Bush Honeysuckle Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: shade, partial shade
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: very fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: upright to spreading, thicket-forming
Spreading: seeds - medium
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: gold to red
Flowers: small, yellowish bell-shaped, in clusters
Flowers: yellow to red
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
Native to: SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: eastern black currant, wild black currant
Other Names: low bush honeysuckle