Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Balsors Blackberry - TreeTime.ca

Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Balsors Blackberry

Rubus fruticosus Balsors

Lonicera caerulea Honey Bee

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Balsors Blackberry
Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry)

Balsors Blackberry is a cold-hardy variety that produces very large, sweet and juicy blackberries late in the summer. They are great for baking and fresh eating.

Balsors Blackberry is a floricanes, primarily fruiting on second year canes. Each spring cut back all two-year old canes, leaving only the last year’s growth. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn’t require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

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.

Balsors Blackberry Quick Facts

Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: low
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Bark: has thorns
Berries: black
Berries: elongate blue berries ripen in late June. Delicate skinned, tarter than Borealis and Tundra Haskaps
Fruit size: large
Firmness: soft
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: August
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: balsor hardy blackberry, balsors hardy black blackberry, balsors hardy blackberry, hardy black blackberry, illinois blackberry
Other Names: haskap, honey bee honeyberry, honeyberry