Honeyberry
- Current Stock:
- 0
- Other Names:
- Haskap, Blue Honeysuckle, Sweetberry Honeysuckle, Fly Honeysuckle, Blue-berried Honeysuckle
- Latin Name:
- Lonicera caerulea
Honeyberries (haskaps) are rugged, cold-hardy shrubs that deliver the season’s first deep-blue harvest—sweet-tart, nutrient-dense, and wildly versatile.
Our three specialty varieties are among the sweetest and largest available and set fruit in succession through the summer: “Beauty”, “Beast,” and a new third—"Blizzard". See a side by side variety comparison table at the bottom of the page! NOTE: At least two varieties are required for cross pollination and need a minimum of ~1,000 chill hours.
Edible Uses
Honeyberries are similar in color and taste to blueberries, with a tart-sweet balance and hints of raspberry or elderberry [1][2]. They can be used fresh or processed into pastries, jams, juices, sauces, ice creams, yogurts, candies, and even wine [3].
Nutritionally, honeyberries are a powerhouse: they contain high amounts of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), polyphenolic flavonoids, and anthocyanin antioxidants—often higher than in blueberries [2][4]. These compounds support immune health, circulation, and cellular protection.
Ornamental Qualities
Honeyberries are attractive, long-lived shrubs with oval green leaves and clusters of small, trumpet-shaped white flowers [1][5]. Flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, followed by elongated blue berries. In winter, bare branches often show a reddish tinge.
Honeyberries are ideal for edible landscapes—they can live and bear fruit for 50+ years under good care [2]. Plant them alongside huckleberries, thimbleberries, or currants for a productive and diverse food forest planting.
Environment and Culture
Honeyberry (Lonicera caerulea) is circumpolar in range, native to boreal forests of North America, Russia, and Japan [1]. Wild plants are often found in moist, organic soils of peat bogs, river valleys, and mountain terrain [6]. They thrive in cold climates and are famously hardy to about –47 °C (–53 °F) [2].
The Boreal trio—‘Beauty’, ‘Beast’, and ‘Blizzard’—draws on mixed Japanese, Russian, and Kurile genetics and have been selected for flavor, berry size, cold-hardiness, and pollination compatibility. Varieties with native North American genetics are not yet available (due to smaller fruit size in initial breeding trials), but we will offer them when they are!
Indigenous communities across the Northwest continue to harvest and tend native berry landscapes as living food and medicine. Honoring this stewardship—and supporting Indigenous-led restoration—helps sustain both people and place [7].
Harvest, Care, and Preparation
The trio staggers ripening—‘Blizzard’ earliest (early June), ‘Beast’ mid-season (late June–July), and ‘Beauty’ latest (late July into early August) [2]. For pollination, ‘Beast’ is the ideal bridge, starting when ‘Blizzard’ starts and ending when ‘Beauty’ ends, so planting ‘Beauty’ + ‘Beast’ + ‘Blizzard’ ensures reliable overlap and stretches the harvest from early to late. For balanced yields, use roughly one ‘Beast’ for every 2–3 ‘Beauties’, and include ‘Blizzard’ anywhere your spring runs cool so its earlier bloom still meets ‘Beauty.’
Honeyberries are less finicky than blueberries, tolerating a wider soil range, though they perform best in well-drained soils rich in organic matter [1]. Protect young plants from hot southern sun exposure, especially in warmer zones.
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Watering: Regular irrigation during establishment (1–2 years) is essential; summer watering increases yields.
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Mulching & Pruning: Annual mulching with organic matter and periodic thinning keeps shrubs healthy and productive.
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Birds: Birds love the fruit—netting may be necessary to secure your harvest.
Harvest berries when fully blue and slightly soft. Use fresh, or freeze, dry, or preserve them. Their unique flavor makes exceptional jams, syrups, wines, and desserts.
In the Kitchen
The first blue fruit of summer, honeyberries eat like a tart-sweet blueberry with a whisper of raspberry. Enjoy them fresh, or turn them into jam, juice, sauce, ice cream, pastries, and even wine — they cook down fast and set well, and their deep color makes a stunning sauce or sorbet.
Attributes
Native Range: Circumboreal (northern North America & Eurasia — Alaska/Canada, Russia/Siberia, Japan)
USDA Zones: 2–7 (up to 8 in cool-summer/coastal sites)
Ease of Care: Easy
Deer Resistance: Moderate (some browsing possible)
Light Requirements: Full sun to part shade
Soil Type: Well-drained, organic-rich; slightly acidic to neutral (approx. pH 5.0–7.0)
Water Requirements: Even moisture; water during establishment (1–2 years); best fruit with steady summer water
Pollination: Requires two different varieties with overlapping bloom; plant at least one ‘Beast’ with ‘Beauty’ (add ‘Blizzard’ to extend overlap)
Bearing Age: 1–2 years
Size at Maturity: 4–6 ft
Plant Spacing: ~6 ft (4–5 ft for a tight hedge)
Bloom Time: March–April (late March in Zone 8)
Harvest Time: June–July (varies by climate and variety; ‘Beauty’ tends later)
Variety Comparison Table - Beauty, Beast, Blizzard
| Attribute | Boreal Beauty | Boreal Beast | Boreal Blizzard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloom & pollination | Latest of the trio; overlaps with Beast. Also compatible with Blizzard (and often Aurora), though those may stop a few days earlier[3][4]. | Bridges the window—starts with Blizzard and ends with Beauty; compatible with both (and Aurora)[1]. | Earliest of the trio; overlaps with Beast; in cool springs may finish before Beauty[2][4]. |
| Best partner(s) | Beast (best), Blizzard (good)[1][3]. | Beauty and Blizzard[1][2]. | Beast (best); Beauty often overlaps enough[2][4]. |
| Ripening window (Saskatoon reference) | Late July–early Aug (latest; ~1 month after most varieties)[3][5]. | Mid–late July (before Beauty)[1]. | Early–mid July (earliest; “first 3 weeks of July” in 2014)[2]. |
| Fruit size (avg; max) | ~2.6 g avg; up to ~3.7 g; thick/oval; firm/meaty[3]. | ~2.0 g avg (1.86–2.06 g reported)[1]. | ~2.8 g avg; up to ~3.9 g; very large[2]. |
| Flavor & texture | Rated “excellent”; firm/meaty; holds well on branches[3]. | Rated “excellent”; notable aroma/aftertaste; very firm[1]. | Rated “excellent”; juicy with sweet-tart “zing”; good firmness[2]. |
| Plant habit & vigor | Upright, very strong/sturdy; bred for mechanical harvest[3]. | Upright, very vigorous; sturdy branching (Kurile ancestry)[1]. | Upright, strong grower; heavy productivity[2]. |
| Harvest style | Latest picking; uniform, firm berries suit fresh + processing[3]. | Bridges the window; can hold on bush; good for combined picks[1]. | Earliest picking; standout size speeds U-pick/fresh market[2]. |
References
[1] Bors, B. “Growing Haskap in Canada.” University of Saskatchewan, 2015.
[2] Thompson, M. “Introduction to Haskap.” Oregon State University Extension, 2017.
[3] Plekhanova, M. N. “Blue Honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea L.) – A New Commercial Berry Crop.” Acta Horticulturae, 2000.
[4] Jurikova, T. et al. “Nutritional and Biological Value of Haskap Berries (Lonicera caerulea L.): A Review.” Journal of Functional Foods, 2012.
[5] Dirr, M. A. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Stipes Publishing, 2009.
[6] USDA NRCS. Plant Guide: Lonicera caerulea. plants.usda.gov.
[7] Turner, N. J. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press, 1995.
Pot Sizing Guide
Planting Guide: Honeyberry (Lonicera caerulea)
Tip: Honeyberries thrive when mimicking their cool, moist northern forest origins — give them rich soil, steady moisture, and a pollination partner, and they’ll reward you with fruit for decades.
When Your Plant Arrives
Open the box promptly and lift your plant out gently, holding the pot rather than the stem. Leave it in its biodegradable eco-pot for now — the roots are settled and don’t need disturbing yet. Give it a slow, thorough drink until water runs through the bottom, then set it somewhere bright but sheltered, out of harsh afternoon sun, drying wind, and frost. Let it rest and acclimate there for a few days before planting, so the move from our greenhouse to your garden is a gentle one. If anything doesn’t look right, please contact customer service within 7 days of delivery and we’ll take care of you.
Choosing a Site
Light: Full sun for the heaviest crops; afternoon shade is fine and welcome in hot spots.
Soil: Easygoing — any well-drained, humus-rich soil near neutral. Unlike blueberries, honeyberries are not acid-lovers, so no special acidifying is needed.
Space: 4–5 ft apart.
Pollination (essential): Honeyberries need a partner — plant at least two different, compatible varieties near each other or you’ll get little to no fruit. They flower extremely early, when few pollinators are about, so keeping the pair close helps bees work both plants.
Planting Steps
Plant in early spring or fall.
If it came in a biodegradable eco-pot, plant it pot and all — the pot is pressed from composted cow manure, so it melts into the soil and gives the young roots their first feed. No need to remove it.
Dig a hole as wide as and no deeper than the roots, set the plant at the depth it grew, backfill, firm, and water in.
Mulch well to keep the shallow roots cool and moist.
Watering & Care
Establishment: Keep evenly moist through the first seasons.
After establishment: Moderate, steady moisture; they are shallow-rooted, so mulch well and don’t let them bake dry.
Feeding: A spring top-dress of compost or a balanced organic fertilizer is plenty.
Pruning: Little needed early. On mature plants, thin the oldest, weakest wood in late winter to open the canopy — good airflow is your best defense against mildew.
Protection
Spider mites: In hot, dry spells honeyberries can pick up spider mites — look for fine pale stippling, dull or yellowing leaves, and faint webbing underneath. Organically: blast the foliage (especially leaf undersides) with strong jets of water every few days to knock them off; keep plants well-watered and mulched, since drought stress invites mites; and spray insecticidal soap, neem oil, or horticultural oil in the cool of evening, coating the undersides and repeating weekly until they clear. Go easy on broad sprays so you don’t wipe out the ladybugs, lacewings, and predatory mites that hold them down.
Powdery mildew: A common, mostly cosmetic, late-season nuisance — a white powdery film that usually shows up after the fruit is already picked, so it rarely costs you a crop. Prevent it with open spacing and airflow, watering at the base rather than overhead, and raking up and discarding affected leaves (don’t compost them). To treat, spray potassium bicarbonate, neem oil, or a diluted milk spray (about 1 part milk to 9 parts water) at the first white patches and repeat every week or two; wettable sulfur also works, but not in hot weather or within two weeks of an oil spray. Many growers simply tolerate it, since it comes so late.
Birds: They find the early berries before you do — net as the fruit begins to color if you want a share.
Harvest Basics
Season: Among the very first fruits of the year — late spring into early summer, often weeks ahead of strawberries.
Ripeness (important): The skin turns blue well before the inside is ripe. Wait until the flesh is purple through and the berries taste sweet-tart and drop at a light touch; picked early they are sour and bitter. A few days’ patience makes all the difference.
Use: Eat fresh, or bake, freeze, or cook into jam and syrup; the flavor lands between blueberry and raspberry.
