Berry Blue Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Oregon Grape

Oregon Grape is an evergreen shrub native to North America, found along the Pacific coast. In spring, the bright golden-yellow flowers appear in clusters above the leaves. These flowers eventually give way to edible blue berries in late summer. While not a true grape, the berries appear grape-like due to their colouring and clustered growth. They can be eaten fresh, but the sour taste and high amounts of natural pectin make them well suited for preserves.

The Oregon Grape has leaves that are glossy, leathery, and spiny-edged. This feature gives it its alternate name of Holly-leaved Barberry. When the leaves emerge in the spring they are a bronze-red colour. In the summer they transition to green, followed by bright red to deep burgundy in the fall. Leaves are retained throughout the winter and colder temperatures cause the leaves to turn purplish bronze, providing year round interest to the landscape.

Berry Blue Honeyberry is a hardy deciduous shrub. Its fruit is deliciously tart and perfect for fresh eating or production.
Berry Blue is an early pollinating variety. Pair with other early pollinators to have a higher yield.
Aurora is a great companion variety.

Haskap is the Japanese name for these berries and this term has been adopted for the University of Saskatchewan varieties. In other areas they are more commonly known as Honeyberry which is why we call this Eastern European variety Honeyberry.

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