Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Northern Gooseberry - TreeTime.ca

Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Northern Gooseberry

Ribes oxyacanthoides

Lonicera caerulea Honey Bee

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Northern Gooseberry
Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry)

Northern Gooseberry is a small, ornamental quality native shrub with prickly stems. You can plant it anywhere you'd plant Prickly Rose or Common Wild Rose, such as your yard.

Most people find Northern Gooseberry berries a bit tart for significant fresh eating but they are good for baking, wine or jam.

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.

Northern Gooseberry Quick Facts

Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: any
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: none
Suckering: none


Berries: purple or purplish black
Berries: elongate blue berries ripen in late June. Delicate skinned, tarter than Borealis and Tundra Haskaps
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NL, YT, NT
Other Names: canada gooseberry, canadian gooseberry