Illini Hardy Blackberry vs Boreal Bliss Haskap - TreeTime.ca

Illini Hardy Blackberry vs Boreal Bliss Haskap

Lonicera caerulea Boreal Bliss

Rubus fruticosus Illini Hardy

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Boreal Bliss Haskap
Illini Hardy Blackberry

Boreal Bliss Haskap is a variety recently released by the University of Saskatchewan. Haskaps generally taste like a cross between a blueberry and a raspberry. The flavour of Boreal Bliss is described as excellent, with a nice aroma and unique aftertaste. For peak flavour, wait about a week after the berries turn blue before harvesting. The berries are well suited to fresh eating, freezing, baking, and preserves.

Boreal Bliss is the first Haskap cultivar to be released with wild Canadian lineage. Its productivity is very good, with bloom and ripening times closely matching Boreal Beast.

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 Bliss Haskap is a late-pollinating variety and pairs well with Boreal Beast and Boreal Blizzard

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 Bliss Haskap Quick Facts

Illini Hardy Blackberry Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.5 m (5 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: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: upright, and somewhat spreading
Spreading: suckering - none
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: medium


Flowers: pale yellow
Bloom time: mid May to early June
Berries: blue, oblong
Berries: black
Flavor: raspberry-blueberry taste
Flavor: medium
Harvest: mid July to early August
Harvest: July
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: boreal bliss honeyberry
Other Names: illinois blackberry