Russian White Mulberry vs Blue Honeysuckle - TreeTime.ca

Russian White Mulberry vs Blue Honeysuckle

Lonicera caerulea

Morus alba tatarica

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Blue Honeysuckle
Russian White Mulberry

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.

Russian White Mulberry is a cold hardy and adaptable tree. It is a great choice for the impatient gardener as it reaches its mature height in a short period of time and has an attractive, dense, and rounded form.

Odd looking berries are produced among a backdrop of glossy, deep green foliage. The blackberry-esque berries ripen slowly over the season, ranging in color from white, pink, and purple-violet. While the berries are not well regarded for fresh eating, they have made tasty jams and preserves.

Blue Honeysuckle Quick Facts

Russian White Mulberry Quick Facts

Lowest Price: $2.99 - SAVE UP TO 67%
Zone: 2a
Zone: 4a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 9 m (30 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 9 m (30 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: any
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: long
Growth form: upright to spreading
Spreading: seeds - low, layering - low
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Flowers: yellowish-white, funnel shaped
Flowers: white
Bloom time: mid to late spring
Berries: oblong, dark purplish-blue, edible
Berries: white, tart, nutritious and sweet
Flavor: sweet-tart
Flavor: light sweet taste
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: blue fly-honeysuckle, fly honeysuckle, haskap, honeyberry, mountain fly honeysuckle, sweetberry honeysuckle