Chito Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Bilberry - TreeTime.ca

Chito Haskap (Honeyberry) vs Bilberry

Lonicera caerulea Chito

Vaccinium myrtillus

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Chito Haskap (Honeyberry)
Bilberry

The Chito Haskap is a fruit-bearing shrub with large, tart-sweet berries that are ready for harvest in late June and into July. This shrub blooms in spring with small white flowers, and has medium-firm berries. Their taste is typically described as something between a raspberry and a blueberry.

The Chito Haskap, or Chito Honeyberry exhibits consistently high fruit yields and makes great for fresh eating or adding to jams and jellies.

Chito is a late pollinating variety. Pair with other late pollinators to have a higher yield.
Strawberry Sensation is a great companion variety.

Bilberry is a native perennial shrub valued for its small, blue-black berries that ripen in mid to late summer. The berries resemble blueberries but have a richer, more tart, and intense flavor. They have long been used for fresh eating, baking, and preserves, while also providing food for birds and mammals. In spring, its delicate pinkish flowers attract bees and other pollinators.

Growing low to the ground, Bilberry forms spreading colonies that create dense understory cover. This growth habit provides food and shelter for wildlife, and its foliage adds seasonal interest by turning red to purple in autumn. With its adaptability and ecological benefits, Bilberry is well-suited for naturalization, ecological restoration, and pollinator gardens.

Chito Haskap (Honeyberry) Quick Facts

Bilberry Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: any
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - medium
Suckering: none


Toxicity: leaves may be unsafe in high doses
Flowers: white
Flowers: white or pink, bell-shaped
Bloom time: summer
Berries: oval
Berries: round bluish-purple berries, edible
Fruit size: large
Firmness: medium
Flavor: tart/sweet
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: late june/july
Harvest: late summer to early fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: blue stuart honeyberry
Other Names: common bilberry, dwarf bilberry, low bilberry, myrtille, myrtle blueberry, myrtle whortleberry, whortleberry