Honeyberry / Haskap (Lonicera caerulea)

Honeyberry, or haskap, is an edible honeysuckle grown for blue fruit. These University of Saskatchewan selections offer different flavors and ripening times for a northern fruit garden.

Haskap needs a compatible second cultivar with overlapping bloom. Boreal Beauty and Boreal Beast are a recommended pairing. Aurora and Boreal Beast can work together, but their timing is less closely matched; Aurora and Beauty are a poor pairing in the breeder’s chart.

Plant Details

• Growth habit: Deciduous fruiting shrub
• Mature size: Generally 4–7 ft tall and about 4 ft wide; varies by selection
• Bloom color: Small yellow flowers
• Harvest season: Summer; Aurora earlier, Beast intermediate, Beauty later in breeder trials
• Light: Full sun for best fruiting
• Water: Consistent moisture during establishment; avoid waterlogging
• Soil: Well-drained loam or sandy loam
• Hardiness: Very cold hardy; Aurora tested successfully at the breeder’s zone 2/3 site
• Pollination: Two different compatible cultivars with overlapping bloom required
• Best uses: Fruit gardens, edible borders, and short hedges
• Native range: Selected cultivars with Russian, Japanese, and Kuril ancestry
• New England status: Cultivated fruit selections, not local New England native stock

Choose your variety

Aurora: Large, sweet-tasting berries on a vigorous shrub. The breeder reports lower acidity than many haskaps; it ripens before the two Boreal choices here.

Boreal Beauty: The Beauty option: large, firm, thick oval to heart-shaped fruit and strong upright branches. A late selection intended to extend the harvest season.

Boreal Beast: The Beast option: aromatic fruit with strong fresh and frozen flavor ratings. It was selected as a compatible companion for Boreal Beauty.

Actual bloom and harvest dates depend on location and spring weather. Plan the pollination pair before planting.

Representative Lonicera caerulea fruit photograph; the pictured cultivar is not identified.

Plant references: University of Saskatchewan 1 · University of Saskatchewan 2 · University of Saskatchewan 3 · University of Saskatchewan 4 · University of Saskatchewan 5