Boreal Blizzard Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Illini Hardy Blackberry - TreeTime.ca

Boreal Blizzard Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Illini Hardy Blackberry

Lonicera caerulea Boreal Blizzard

Rubus fruticosus Illini Hardy

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Boreal Blizzard Haskap (Honeyberry)
Illini Hardy Blackberry

Boreal Blizzard Haskap is known for its excellent taste and is the most similar to the Aurora Haskap. The flavour of Haskaps is generally described as a cross between a blueberry and a raspberry. Boreal Blizzard Haskaps are well suited to fresh eating, freezing, baking, and preserves.

It has one of the largest and heaviest berries and they are firm enough to withstand 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.

Boreal Blizzard Haskap is a late-pollinating variety that pairs well with Boreal Beast.

The Illini Hardy Blackberry was developed in Illinois for northern growers, and produces a large, juicy blackberry with medium-sweet flavor. The berries are ready for harvest in midsummer, and go great in preserves.

The Illini Hardy Blackberry, or the Illinois Blackberry, are 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.

Boreal Blizzard Haskap (Honeyberry) Quick Facts

Illini Hardy Blackberry Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.4 m (8 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: any
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Flowers: pale yellow
Berries: large, purple blue
Berries: black
Flavor: raspberry-blueberry taste
Flavor: medium
Harvest: mid - late July
Harvest: July
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: blue honeysuckle, honeyberry
Other Names: illinois blackberry