Red Osier Dogwood vs Black Crowberry - TreeTime.ca

Red Osier Dogwood vs Black Crowberry

Cornus sericea

Empetrum nigrum

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

CUSTOM GROW

Red Osier Dogwood
Black Crowberry

Red Osier Dogwood is a small deciduous shrub that features deep red stems and twigs year-round, with creamy white flowers in the spring. This shrub will add a nice pop of color to your yard.

Red Osier Dogwood is an excellent soil stabilizer. It is fast growing and becomes drought tolerant once well established.

Black Crowberry is a native evergreen shrub that forms low, spreading mats. It has unique foliage that spiral around the stem, and small dark berries, giving it visual appeal. The berries are edible, but can be acidic, so are not generally eaten fresh. In colder climates they have a sweet, tart taste, and are dried, used in deserts, or for making jams or jellies.
It provides food for birds and mammals, while its flowers attract pollinators such as bees. Its ability to grow in harsh climates makes it an important species for ecological balance.
Black Crowberry has historical significance as it provided a vital food source for the indigenous cultures of the arctic regions. It is abundant in Scandinavia and is used to make liqueurs, wines, and juices. In Newfoundland and Labrador the berries are known locally as ‘blackberries’ and are used in jams, jellies and baked goods like buns and puddings.

Red Osier Dogwood Quick Facts

Black Crowberry Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.7 m (9 ft)
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 0.4 m (1.3 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: any
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: low growing, matt-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - low
Suckering: medium


Foliage: evergreen needle-like leaves
Fall colour: dark red
Bark: dark red, showy
Flowers: white
Flowers: pink-red, very small
Bloom time: late spring to early summer
Berries: white waxy
Berries: purplish-black, edible
Flavor: bland, slightly bitter
Harvest: late summer to fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no

In row spacing: 0.9 m (3 ft)

Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU
Other Names: american dogwood, california dogwood, creek dogwood, dogberry tree, red dogwood, red twig dogwood, redosier dogwood, redstem dogwood, western dogwood
Other Names: crakeberry, curlewberry, heathberry, northern crowberry