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

Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Northern Bush Honeysuckle

Lonicera caerulea Honey Bee

Diervilla lonicera

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NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry)
Northern Bush Honeysuckle

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.

The Northern Bush Honeysuckle is a small, dense, deciduous shrub. The trumpet-like yellow flowers bloom late spring to early summer. Dark green leaves turn yellow then red in the fall. The flower nectar has a sweet honey taste that can be sucked out of the flower.

Because of its aggressive suckering habit, the Northern Bush Honeysuckle makes a great hedge, shrub border, or thicket in a woodland garden.

Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) Quick Facts

Northern Bush Honeysuckle Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: shade, partial shade
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: very fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: none
Suckering: high


Flowers: yellow to red
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: SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: haskap, honey bee honeyberry, honeyberry
Other Names: low bush honeysuckle