Bracted Honeysuckle vs Illini Hardy Blackberry - TreeTime.ca

Bracted Honeysuckle vs Illini Hardy Blackberry

Rubus fruticosus Illini Hardy

Lonicera involucrata

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Illini Hardy Blackberry
Bracted Honeysuckle

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.

Bracted Honeysuckle is a shade loving shrub that is distinguishable from other honeysuckles by its square stem and pointed leaves. Native to most of North America, this honeysuckle is found along swamps, rivers, riparian zones and moist wooded areas.

If you have a erosion control project in mind, consider Bracted Honeysuckle.

Illini Hardy Blackberry Quick Facts

Bracted Honeysuckle Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 4a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: high
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Berries: black
Berries: shiny, purple-black berries produced in pairs
Flavor: medium
Harvest: July
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NU
Other Names: illinois blackberry
Other Names: bearberry honeysuckle, black twinberry, twinberry