Botanica™ Sea Berry

Botanica™ Sea Berry

One of several superior varieties from a Soviet breeding program in Moscow, Botanica™ Sea Berry is prized for its abundant crops of very large and richly flavored, bright orange fruit. Botanica™ Sea Berry is a very reliable and productive variety in our region.

Very Popular in Eastern Europe, Russia and China, Sea Berry is a new and very valuable plant for North American gardeners. Also known as Sea Buckthorn, Sea Berry is prized for its exceptional ornamental value, tasty and healthy fruit, and the ability to grow in and improve poor soils. In late summer and fall, large clusters of bright orange-yellow berries cover the branches and, on some varieties, can persist well into winter.

Sea Berry fruit is very high in Vitamin C (about 7 times more than lemons), Vitamin A, and E, and has a pleasant acidic flavor which, when sweetened, makes delicious juice. During the Cold War, East Germany used Sea Berry as a healthful substitute for orange juice. The fruit is also unique for its oil content, which is used as a treatment for burns and skin diseases as well as for ulcers and other illnesses. You will often see Sea Buckthorn as an ingredient in many nutritional supplements and cosmetics.

We harvest out fruit by hand or by cutting off the fruit laden branches and freezing them. The frozen berries can easily be shaken off and, after thawing, make great juice and preserves. Like cranberry juice, Sea Berry juice is usually diluted with up to 70% water.

Click here to view our Sea Berry Growing Guide

Latin Name: Hippophae rhamnoides
Site and Soil: Sea Berry likes full to 1/2 day sun and well-drained soil.
Rootstock Description: These are grown from cuttings.
Pollination Requirements: Sea Berry is wind pollinated. Plant with a male plant for cross-pollination.
Hardiness: Sea Berry is hardy to minus 40º F.
Bearing Age: 2-3 years after planting.
Size at Maturity: 6-8 ft. in height.
Bloom Time: April
Ripening Time: late July – early August
Yield: 30+ lbs.
Pests & Diseases: Sea Berry is not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 3-9
Sunset Western Zone: A2, A3, 1-6
Sunset Northeast Zone: 34, 37-45