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

Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Bilberry

Lonicera caerulea Honey Bee

Vaccinium myrtillus

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Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry)
Bilberry

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.

American Black Currant is a native deciduous shrub known for its clusters of small black berries that ripen in mid-to-late summer. The berries are edible and have long been used for fresh eating, preserves, and baking. They provide food for birds and mammals, and their fragrant spring flowers attract bees and other pollinators.

American Black Currant’s foliage serves as a host plant for butterfly species such as the Green Comma and Gray Comma, and its dense branching offers cover for wildlife. The shrub has traditionally been planted in shelterbelts, riparian buffers, and restoration projects.

Honey Bee Haskap (Honeyberry) Quick Facts

Bilberry Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - medium
Suckering: none


Toxicity: leaves may be unsafe in high doses
Flowers: white or pink, bell-shaped
Bloom time: summer
Berries: elongate blue berries ripen in late June. Delicate skinned, tarter than Borealis and Tundra Haskaps
Berries: round bluish-purple berries, edible
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: late summer to early fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: common bilberry, dwarf bilberry, low bilberry, myrtille, myrtle blueberry, myrtle whortleberry, whortleberry