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canadianplant

Anyone growing Honeyberries?

canadianplant
10 years ago

I finally found Honeyberries available here (Lonicera Caerulea). OF course the tags are vague, and the information online is really hit or miss. I got "Borealis", which seems to be a well known type from Saskatchewan, and "Cinderella", which I cannot find much information on at all.

Anyone have some general growing info, or even better some info on the L. "Cinderella"?

Comments (69)

  • trianglejohn
    10 years ago

    I have some in Raleigh NC and they're doing fine. Around here they are not an early crop like they are up north. Here they fruit the same time as blueberries and strawberries. Blueberries are a bit easier to grow and harvest but in my yard they take a lot of babying (even though there are wild ones in the woods, my yard doesn't seem to suit them). I only got the honeyberries for one strip of shade and just to try them out. Mine are a couple of years old and haven't grown all that much and seem to want to be wider rather than taller.

  • Tony
    10 years ago

    CP,

    I have some photos of my honeyberries so you find a spot for yours.
    6 yrs old honeyberry bush with the two little propagated bushes on each side.

    Tony

    This post was edited by tonytran on Tue, May 14, 13 at 19:33

  • canadianplant
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Sounds like i can plant then just about anywhere as long as it isnt overly wet and shaded...

  • Omegaclass
    10 years ago

    Yes indeed, i look forward to the harvest when the 7 Russian honeyberries plants i got from Berries Unlimited. They focus on the Russian types and have a seminar on you-tube on running a u-pick berry business. They use tissue culture to propagate their plants. The 6 plants they sent me came in a box packed with saw dust such that no damage was possible from shipping.

    It seems they have very good health benefits better then blueberries.

  • canadianplant
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I planted them in an area that is half shaded by a fence (depending on time of day). There are quite a few shrubs in that area, and it is slowly becoming a shrub garden lol. The best part is, there are a good amount of lower branches, so I can layer them and start to create a double patch of these guys.

  • TheDerek
    10 years ago

    I planted 4 honeyberries this spring, they havent grown much, but seem to be healthy. They are in between my 2 apple trees, 2 borealis up front, Honey Bee in the middle and Indigo Gem in the back. In the back corners of my tilled area I put in 2 Carmine Jewel cherries.

    {{gwi:93680}}

  • TheDerek
    9 years ago

    Its been a cold spring, my honeyberries are just starting to bud, nothing else has broken dormancy yet.... Unfortunately, something liked the taste of my Indigo Gem bush and it was eaten down to a 1" stump when the snow melted this spring. I hope it recovers, but there are no branches or buds on it right now... Anyone know if these will regenerate from below the soil line if damaged?

  • joseaoe1
    9 years ago

    I live in Northeast WI and the two small Borealis plants that I purchased last year after I moved into a new home were planted in containers (in the fall) and are just about to show leaves. I am expecting an Aurora variety at the end of this month. It has been a LONG winter here and I still have a couple of shady spots with snow in my yard. I'm still deciding where I want to permanently plant these I have about 1/3 acre open yard and over an acre covered in Maples and Norway pines so most of my open yard gets plenty of shade 1/2 the day.

  • Konrad___far_north
    9 years ago

    A bit shade is fine, ..just keep it away from competition plants/trees.

  • DavidGardening
    9 years ago

    Does anyone have any spare cuttings?

  • lkz5ia
    9 years ago

    if you really are in zone 9, no reason to grow it since you have a lot more options.

  • Konrad___far_north
    9 years ago

    Yes but not too many other options when it comes to grow a high quality blue berry with more antioxidants than blueberries.
    Also, Haskap don't need acid soils. And...you have a fruit which
    you can harvest over a month earlier then Blueberries or other fruits.

  • Josh Keeton
    8 years ago

    Hi guys. I know this is an old thread. Im wondering how your honeyberry plants are doing now? Im getting ready to plant some this spring and Im in zone 5. Im curious if the partial shade plants produced good amounts of fruit? I have a section that gets full sun from 11 am to roughly 6pm. i think that is plenty. I have another section that i want to plant in that gets a little less, maybe from 11/12 noon to 4/5 full sun. what do you guys think about me planting some in that area? Thanks!

  • Charlie
    8 years ago

    My 2 plants get partial sun, but they only produced a few berries last year because they are only 3 years old. They seem to be growing well. Here is a picture I took of one of them in 2014.


  • Josh Keeton
    8 years ago

    Thanks Charlie. How many hours of sun do you think they get? I am getting mine from a nursery and they are supposed to be 18 to 24 inches to start. I'm in zone 5. Pretty excited about these. Glad you got berries off yours. I am planting at least 4, but I also have some cuttings inside right now that could make for a few more.

  • Charlie
    8 years ago

    I believe they get about 6 hours of sun during the spring and maybe 7 during the summer.

  • Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
    8 years ago

    I'm going to take out the Borealis because it's a waste of space for it's hardly any production, Blue Belle and Berry Blue are best for me.

    This little Blue Belle layered under the shade is loaded.



  • Josh Keeton
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Thanks Charlie! Wow Konrad looks like they are doing great! I wonder if they do better in a colder zone. Im in between you guys in zone 5. Make sure your Borealis isnt helping with the pollination. How many plants do you have Konrad and how old are they? Looks like the layered one is from a very thick part of the bush. That had to help. I may have to look into those. I have some called Tundra, Indigo Gem, that i am propagating, and some 1 year old plants ordered called Blue sea, blue mist, blue pagoda and blue hokkaido

  • Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
    8 years ago

    Got abut 4 plants and two belle blue, borealis is not a contender in pollination since there is hardly any on. That little plant was a transplant.

    From a layering with a rock



    But..put a bunch of seedlings in this years from the blue belle, just too see what they will do.


  • Josh Keeton
    8 years ago

    Konrad that is amazing! Thanks so much for the info. I really am excited about getting some planted. Are your seedlings from cuttings?

  • Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    >>Are your seedlings from cuttings?<<

    From seeds,..it would be better from cuttings to ensure the same fruit.

    From seeds,.. some will be inferior but some might be OK but I'm shooting for double size lol.

  • Josh Keeton
    8 years ago

    lol cool. Yeah i have 7 out of 8 cuttings budding right now in a humidity dome. thats a good success rate so far. Hoping all 7 root.

  • maxdread666 .
    7 years ago

    Hi all


    Very helpful thread!


    As people who obviously know a great deal about these plants, I wondered if I could possibly run a question by you? I have recently bought some of these:


    http://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/lonicera-caerulea-var-kamtschatica/classid.2000020837/


    The company - Crocus - insist that their variety is self fertile. In fact, they told me that they have double checked with their specialist grower in Holland, who have in turn confirmed that there is no pollination partner for the honeyberry 'Kamtschatica' that they supply to Crocus. Almost everything else I have read concerning honeyberries would suggest otherwise and that a suitable pollinating partner is necessary for fruiting. When questioned further, Crocus say that perhaps "American websites are referring to the species plant rather than the cultivated form we sell".


    I wondered what anyone's thoughts might be on this matter.


    Also, the plants I have a 2 years old and in 2 litre pots. They are around 15-20cm tall. Does that sound right for 2 year old plants?


    Many thanks


    Max

  • Tony
    7 years ago

    Honey berry here in the USA and Canada usually require cross pollination of two different varieties.


    Tony

  • garprob1
    7 years ago

    I have 2 Aurora and 2 Borealis that I put in last year- spring of 2015. This year each plant has a handful of developing berries. I am excited to give them a try! I just read about a new late blooming variety just coming in the market this year called Boreal Blizzard. The fruit are supposed to be delicious and larger and meatier than other varieties. I might see about getting a couple for next spring if I can find where to order them. Has anybody seen these yet?

    Gareth

  • garymc
    7 years ago

    I'm receiving a 6 plant package from Berries Unlimited today. They called it a fresh eating assortment. 2 blue joy, 2 blue moose, and 2 blue smoke. I don't see these varieties mentioned anywhere else. I wonder if they're just something they made up at Berries Unlimited. They're tissue cultured. They're described as 12cm and they say there are 18 of that size in a flat. So they're really small. I've gotten tissue cultured muscadines like that before at the same time I bought the same variety of muscadine in a half gallon pot and they were the same size at the end of the first season.

  • Greenhorn2
    7 years ago

    what does the the inside of a Honeyberry look like, my neighbor has something that looks like these or Myrtleberry...will try to identify by leaves but the berry had a big pit inside...any insight here ?

  • Charlie
    7 years ago

    The inside looks the same as a blueberry. I got my first fruit from my honeyberry plants this week. They were not sweet. Did I pick them too early; they were deep purple and soft.

  • eciton
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Charlie

    All I have read is they need to be blue/purple throughout. If you pick then blue outside and greenish inside they taste terrible. Couple more weeks they should be good


    Do you live in Fairfax county? I think perhaps we met once. Which varieties did you plant? I just planted maxie and solo at my place.

  • Charlie
    7 years ago

    eciton - Yes, I live in Fairfax County. I planted beauralis and cinderella. They are still small. I am in Kings Park West, where are you?

  • eciton
    7 years ago

    I'm in Gainesville.

    I had heard that there are a good number of varieties that do really well in colder zones than us but produce very little in our weather. That is why I planted the two varieties that I had chosen, I believe that they are better suited to Virginia Summers vs the colder areas. But we shall see since they are only one year old. It may take several years for them to get big enough to make any reasonable amount of fruit. If I remember correctly you had a Hardy kiwi Arbor in your backyard? How are they doing with all this rain we have gotten


  • Charlie
    7 years ago

    Eciton - This year my anna hardy kiwis will probably not produce a lot of fruit. A late frost set them back and there were no many blooms. I also lost my apricots and a few of my peaches. I still have some peaches mainly on one tree and a few on my elberta. I have 2 Asian pear trees and lost most of them to the frost also. Blackberries and raspberries may do okay. This year I am focusing more on my vegetable garden; I am growing some new oriental greens in my garden. I planted some "water spinach" and another oriental green that we liked when we bought it from the oriental market. I also planted some "bright-light" chards for the first time. The greens are doing well in this rain. I planted 4 types of beans and some cucumbers in hanging milk jug containers, probably too small. The jury is still out on the beans and cukes. I am going to have to re-plant my raised garden since I planted beets and onions too deep and had a bad germination rate.

  • garymc
    7 years ago

    My honeyberry plants from Berries Unlimited came in. Looks like there is some powdery mildew on them or a residue from a spray. Two plants not pictured looked much better than these.


  • TheDerek
    7 years ago

    Garymc, those look great compared to the ones I just got... Not impressed at all with mine. I was hoping to allow them to go dormant over winter, but I dont think they would survive. Both are less than 2 inches tall!


  • TheDerek
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Also I dug out all my 3 borealis plants this fall because they were less than impressive. I transplanted them along a stream near my house for wildlife to enjoy. Very healthy, but fruit was sparse and small. Added a bunch of new varieties this year in addition to the ones pictured above. Maxine, Solo, Boreal Blizzard, Boreal Beauty and Aurora. Hoping for more impressive results, havent given up on haskap yet...

  • garymc
    7 years ago

    By the end of the summer, mine didn't look as good as they do in the pots. I guess I'm simply outside the climate zone where they will thrive.


  • TheDerek
    7 years ago

    I wouldnt worry too much gary, they will probably come back stronger next year. Mine tend to look ragged by fall also. Betting they will be nice again by May! On a side note, I contacted berries unlimited and they told me that if the plants dont survive the winter, they will ship new ones out to me in the spring, so thats nice I guess...

  • garymc
    7 years ago

    I sent them several messages and did not get one response. I've bought from them a couple of times and when I'm buying something, the email responses come in a matter of hours. But they told me up front that these will not likely do well in zone 7.


  • searsbill
    6 years ago

    Hello all, I bought three plants at Walmart. I am now questioning if that was wise as, after reading the previous comments, the label says mrs honeyberry. I didn't see a mr honeyberry at the store. Will these 3 plants pollinate? Or do I need another variety, which I will have a hard time finding, I think.

  • Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
    6 years ago

    You have Borealis...got rid of mine since it's the worst one producing. They need another to pollinate.

  • searsbill
    6 years ago

    Well that is dissapointing. I went back to the store today and see that they put these out since I was there last , so here is a mr honeyberry. Wish hey had put them out yesterday so I bought 2 o plant with the Mrs. these say they are berry blue. Do you think this will help with berry production?

  • searsbill
    6 years ago

    I know its walmart but they should put up a sign just explaining that you need at least one of each. There are probably a pile of people who just bought a plant without knowing and will surely be disappointed in the coming years.


  • hungryfrozencanuck
    6 years ago

    TheDerek if all you had were 3 borealis the reason you had sparse and few berries are that you need a 2nd variety to pollinate. My first year only one plant bloomed and I was shocked how small the berries were. The following year with cross pollination the berries were MUCH larger. That said you won't miss your Borealis vs Aurora in terms of flavour BUT Borealis IS the pollinator for Aurora (get it? Aurora Borealis goes together). Blizzard and Beauty bloom too late to pollinate Aurora. Not sure when Maxine and Solo bloom and if they are pollinators.

  • searsbill
    6 years ago

    So if I now have 3 borealis and 2 berry blue things will be ok?

  • hungryfrozencanuck
    6 years ago

    Here is a pollination chart.

    http://www.fruit.usask.ca/Documents/Haskap/Haskap%20bloom%20ripe%20charts.pdf

    Borealis and Berry Blue will pollinate.

    Note that of Tundra, Borealis and Aurora, I could only eat Aurora fresh as the others were too sour (still makes great jams).

    For people just starting out I would recommend Aurora for early harvest (with a couple Borealis for pollination) and then Blizzard/Beauty/Beast for later harvest. I am not familiar with the Russian and other varieties which may do better in warmer climates.


  • searsbill
    6 years ago

    I live in the Yukon and the plants are getting quite popular up here, but still new to most people.. I was given 10 pounds of frozen berries last year from a friend and made wine. It turned was fantastic. Thank you for the chart

  • garprob1
    6 years ago

    I m planning on ordering a few more plants for next year. Has anyone ordered form Prairie Plant Systems Inc. ppsfruittrees.com? If so, what are your thoughts and recommendations?

  • hungryfrozencanuck
    6 years ago

    I bought from prairie plant. They are tissue culture grown so you know what they are true to type and virus free. However they are very small, a small stick with a 3 inch plug of roots. Will take at least 3 years to produce so larger bare root are better if you can find them. Also, I doubt they will ship across the border, plant controls are very strict.

  • codym17
    6 years ago

    Now that another fruiting season has passed. What does everyone think of the flavour of their honeyberries? This is my 3rd year and I only got to try a berry off the boreialis. Birds beat me to the others. The berries were much smaller than I expected and the flavour was disgusting. it didn't even resemble how it's described in the magazine's. I felt like pulling them out after trying it, but have to give it another year. Just need to cover as soon as i see a berry since the birds like em green now.

  • Konrad..just outside of Edmonton Alberta
    6 years ago

    It's more of a hype...just like Goji.. on these so called super fruits, eating out of hand is not like eating blueberries. lol. But when left alone for about another month covered up they're not too bad. I use them in my cereal. Just covered mine up yesterday when I see about a half a dozen cedar waxwings eating them green, happens every year but usually they start feeding when they berries turn colour, not even close now..about another 2 weeks I think.

    Think most people don't bother to let them stay on longer...they use them for processing which is fine...actually better since pectin level is higher.

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