Berry Blue Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Blue Honeysuckle - TreeTime.ca

Berry Blue Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Blue Honeysuckle

Lonicera caerulea Berry Blue

Lonicera caerulea

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Berry Blue Haskap (Honeyberry)
Blue Honeysuckle

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.

Blue Honeysuckle (wild Haskap or Honeyberry) is a cold hardy shrub and native to most of Canada. The pale yellow to white flowers provide nectar and pollen for bumblebees and other pollinators. The edible berries resemble elongated blueberries. They have a sweet-tart flavour often described as a blend of blueberry, raspberry, and blackcurrant, though wild berries can vary in taste.

Compared to popular cultivated varieties, the berries of Blue Honeysuckle are typically smaller and more variable in shape and flavour. While some enjoy eating the berries fresh, they are more commonly used in baking and preserves. Blue Honeysuckle can be used in hedgerows, border plantings, and naturalized landscapes. It may also serve as a cross-pollination partner in haskap plantings or as a decoy planting to draw birds and wildlife away from more desirable fruit crops.

Blue Honeysuckle has limited self-pollination and produces better yields when planted with other haskap plants or varieties for cross-pollination. Wild populations have not been studied as extensively as cultivated varieties, and because these plants are grown from seed, bloom timing and cross-pollination compatibility may vary.

Berry Blue Haskap (Honeyberry) Quick Facts

Blue Honeysuckle Quick Facts

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Zone: 2a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to spreading
Spreading: seeds - low, layering - low
Suckering: none


Flowers: yellowish-white, funnel shaped
Bloom time: mid to late spring
Berries: berries are large; berries are similar to blueberries but larger and have a taste between raspberry and blueberry; ready for harvest at the end of June
Berries: oblong, dark purplish-blue, edible
Flavor: sweet-tart
Harvest: mid-summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, NU, PE
Other Names: berry blue honeyberry, berry smart blue honeyberry, haskap, honeyberry
Other Names: blue fly-honeysuckle, fly honeysuckle, haskap, honeyberry, mountain fly honeysuckle, sweetberry honeysuckle