Indigo Gem Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Bilberry - TreeTime.ca

Indigo Gem Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Bilberry

Vaccinium myrtillus

Lonicera caerulea Indigo Gem

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Bilberry
Indigo Gem Haskap (Honeyberry)

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.

Indigo Gem Haskap produces firm, sweet/tangy berries. The flavour of Haskaps is generally described as a cross between a blueberry and a raspberry. Indigo Gem Haskaps are well suited to fresh eating, freezing, baking, and preserves.

The fruit is similar in size and firmness to the Tundra variety, making it suitable for commercial production or your home garden.

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.

Indigo Gem Haskap is an early-pollinating variety that pairs well with Aurora and Honey Bee.

Bilberry Quick Facts

Indigo Gem Haskap (Honeyberry) Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
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: round bluish-purple berries, edible
Berries: elongated berries, firm and great tasting (sweet tangy)
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
Other Names: haskap sk 9-15