Falsebox vs Ben Sarek Black Currant - TreeTime.ca

Falsebox vs Ben Sarek Black Currant

Ribes nigrum Ben Sarek

Paxistima myrsinites

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Ben Sarek Black Currant
Falsebox

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.

Falsebox is a hardy, native evergreen shrub found in forests, rocky slopes, and open woodland sites. Though small and easily overlooked among the leaves, the maroon flowers still supply nectar and pollen for pollinators such as native bees and flies. Blooming in spring, they provide an important early-season food source. Its year-round greenery adds visual interest through the winter.

Falsebox is a low-growing shrub that tolerates a wide range of conditions, including drought once established. It thrives particularly well beneath the shade of mature trees, where few other plants succeed. With its resilience and ecological value, Falsebox is well-suited for naturalization, restoration projects, and diverse landscape plantings.

Ben Sarek Black Currant Quick Facts

Falsebox Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 5a
Height: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 1.1 m (4 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: compact, dense, rounded
Growth form: prostrate to spreading
Spreading: layering - low
Spreading: layering - medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic when crushed
Foliage: evergreen, leathery leaves
Bark: reddish-brown
Flowers: greenish-yellow
Flowers: small, maroon-purple, fragrant
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Bloom time: summer
Berries: black currants, edible
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: ben sarek blackcurrant
Other Names: false box, mountain boxwood, mountain lover, myrtle boxwood, oregon boxleaf, oregon boxwood