Northern Bush Honeysuckle vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Northern Bush Honeysuckle vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Diervilla lonicera

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Northern Bush Honeysuckle

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.

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.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Northern Bush Honeysuckle Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: shade, partial shade
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: very fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Spreading: layering - low
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Flowers: yellow to red
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Berries: black currants, edible
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant
Other Names: low bush honeysuckle