Haskaps are a beautiful shrub in the same family as honeysuckles (you’ll see the similarity in the leaves).
Also known as the honeyberry, it flowers quite early in spring, with correspondingly early fruit (as early as the beginning of June in our area!). They are a very cold hardy, northern shrub, hence the many variety names which reference the boreal forests.
The fruits are sweet and can be eaten fresh or processed into the usual jellies, jams, juices etc. They are very popular in Japan, but are not as well known in the United States. Birds DEFINITELY enjoy the berries, so either promptly harvest the fruits daily or you may want to consider netting or some kind of cover to protect your spoils!
This year we have a handful of named-variety plants, and a number of seedlings of Russian and Japanese origin. Russian genetics tend to fruit the earliest, and the Japanese later. Generally Japanese and Russian genetics don’t pollinate each other, so get two of each for whatever seedling type you choose.
What Are Seedlings?
Seedlings are plants that have been grown directly from a seed. They are genetic individuals whose traits that are not exactly known. Seedlings are in contrast with plants which have been cloned, as cloned plants are sure to have certain characteristics.
Often seedlings share characteristics with their parents, but exactly how much is shared depends on the species of plant. Having good parents certainly doesn’t hurt!
Varieties Available This Year:
Keiko – a late flowering Japanese variety. Typical of Japanese varieties, the fruit is quite large. Nice mild flavor. zones 3-7
Blue Belle – a highly vigorous Russian variety that grows fairly well from hardwood cuttings. Average flavor.
Growth Parameters:
Expect a shrub 4 to 6 feet tall and about as wide. Plant at least two genetic individuals (either two seedlings or two different varieties) for cross pollination to get fruit.
Haskaps are not super picky about soil, however they tend to do best with extra acidity like blueberries, and they naturally live at the edges of bogs, so they don’t mind some moisture.
Haskaps in full sun look great in spring and produce fruit well, but tend to look a little overworked by the end of summer. It seems like an ideal place for haskaps has some shade from a neighbor.