Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Thimbleberry - TreeTime.ca

Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Thimbleberry

Lonicera caerulea Honey Bee

Rubus parviflorus

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Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry)
Thimbleberry

Honey Bee Haskap produces tarter fruit than the Aurora and Borealis varieties and is known for bearing fruit at a younger age. The flavour of Haskaps is generally described as a cross between a blueberry and a raspberry. Honey Bee Haskaps are well suited to fresh eating, freezing, baking, and preserves.

The Honey Bee Haskap has stronger fruit holds than other varieties so the berries stay on the bush longer. The berries do not roll well so they are not recommended for mechanical harvesting.

For optimal fruit production, cross-pollination is required. Haskaps need to be planted with a compatible variety. Compatibility is influenced by both bloom time and genetics.

Honey Bee Haskap is an early-pollinating variety and pairs well with Aurora, Borealis, Tundra, and Indigo Gem.

Thimbleberry is an ornamental shrub with large, green maple-like-leaves. Flowers are attractive, fragrant, and turn into red-raspberry-like berries. The berries are good for jams, cakes, breads, muffins etc. If you remove the berry, the core resembles a thimble, giving this shrub its namesake.

Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) Quick Facts

Thimbleberry Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 4a
Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: any
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: none


Foliage: Soft leaves up to 8 inches across
Fall colour: gold
Flowers: white, showy
Berries: elongate blue berries ripen in late June. Delicate skinned, tarter than Borealis and Tundra Haskaps
Berries: edible, red, similar to raspberries
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: thimbleberry, western thimbleberry