Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry) vs Boreal Bliss Haskap - TreeTime.ca

Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry) vs Boreal Bliss Haskap

Lonicera caerulea Boreal Bliss

Amelanchier alnifolia Smoky

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Boreal Bliss Haskap
Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry)

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

Smoky Saskatoon is a large deciduous shrub that suckers and produces edible fruit. Smoky Saskatoons are one of the most productive and widely used Saskatoons and have large sweet berries with good yields.

One of the oldest and first good yielding cultivars, a majority of the commercial saskatoon orchards were based on this cultivar until Northline and other cultivars were introduced.

Smoky has slightly smaller fruit than Northline and a milder taste but is not acidic like Pembina, Thiessen or Honeywood.

Boreal Bliss Haskap Quick Facts

Smoky Saskatoon (Serviceberry) Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 1a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 4 m (14 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 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: medium
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: orange to red
Flowers: pale yellow
Bloom time: mid May to early June
Berries: blue, oblong
Berries: produces large edible berries great for eating raw
Flavor: raspberry-blueberry taste
Harvest: mid July to early August
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, YT, NT
Other Names: boreal bliss honeyberry
Other Names: alder-leaf shadbush, dwarf shadbush, pacific serviceberry, pigeon berry, smokey saskatoon, smokey serviceberry, western juneberry, western serviceberry