Redwing Highbush Cranberry vs Mountain Huckleberry - TreeTime.ca

Redwing Highbush Cranberry vs Mountain Huckleberry

Viburnum trilobum JN Select

Vaccinium membranaceum

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Redwing Highbush Cranberry
Mountain Huckleberry

The Redwing Highbush Cranberry is a dense multi-stemmed shrub that blooms with white pinwheel shaped flowers in spring. It produces small, red, and edible berries in late summer. Its leaves are green, but the tips become more saturated with red throughout the season, and then turn a stunning crimson colour in the fall.

The Redwing Highbush Cranberry makes a good addition to any urban garden or hedge, and its berries are commonly used to liven up preserves with their tart flavor.

Mountain Huckleberry is a small shrub known for its tart to sweet berries. The berries range from purple-black to red-black, and can be eaten fresh or used in jams and syrups. It is a plant native to Alberta and the berries are frequently enjoyed by both people and wildlife.

In traditional Indigenous fire management practices, berry patches were burned after harvest. This would reduce the invasion of other plants allowing the Mountain Huckleberry to thrive. Its foliage has low flammability and can survive low severity fires, and even if destroyed they regrow from the roots.

Note: Mountain Huckleberry requires specific soil conditions. They need moist, well-drained, acidic soil with a pH around 5.5.

Redwing Highbush Cranberry Quick Facts

Mountain Huckleberry Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 5a
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Height: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Fall colour: red/orange
Berries: small, red
Berries: dark purple
Flavor: sour
Flavor: sweet, acidic
Harvest: late August-February
Harvest: mid to late summer
Flowers: white, pinwheel shaped
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: low
Suckering: high




Other Names: big huckleberry, black huckleberry, tall bilberry, thinleaf huckleberry