Zone 5b - Aurora Haskap makes an impression

Aurora haskap

WOW!  I bird netted this year and let them reach their max potential and I have to say I've been picking the last 2 weeks and I'm super impressed with production size and taste. (Planted spring 2015 and 2016)

Brian K, Cape Porpoise, ME

Zone 5a - IA - Happy for Haskap Berries!

Last year I planted a really small Indigo Gem, a similarly small Aurora, and a quite larger bare root Borealis. THAT YEAR (last summer) both the little potted Aurora and the Indigo Gem put on a few berries (in the single digit amounts) and I reluctantly let them remain just to have a little taste. But I mean - come on now..., plant that summer and see a fruit that summer!?!?!

This year these two have a little more fruit set. The Indigo Gem made enough (see picture) for me to toss a good handful down to see what it was all about while leaving some for Fonda and the kids to try as well. Aurora isn't quite ripe, and Borealis I think only has 2-3 berries that I can see.

So the little plants have been get'n er done!

I really like the Indigo Gem flavor, and am glad you recommend I try it out.

I may get this Western Iowa crowd to growing Honeyberries before it's over!

Jerry, Missouri Valley, IA

(Editor's note: Borealis typically is slower to produce fruit and produces a lighter yield than Aurora or Indigo Gem, but also hides its fruit underneath dense foliage. Remember to let berries ripen for 3 weeks after they turn purple on the outside)

Zone 5b - Aurora haskap berries on bush

Aurora berries
Note dried blossom dangling at end of berry

4/23/2016: We have multiple berries on both Aurora plants! (planted in 2015) The Honeybee is now in bloom, but this didn't happen until Sunday. So, I strongly doubt it affected the developing berries on the Auroras.  The Borealis still has not yet bloomed.  We live in a very rural area & I know of no other honeyberries beyond our own in the area so Aurora may be self pollinating. We planted 2 Indigo Gem this spring which will blossom earlier.

Jeannette, Frankfort, OH 

Zone 6a - PA - Haskap survive frost

Blossoms survive 20F

Unopened blossoms next to maturing berries

I started getting blossoms on my honeyberries about a month ago (Cinderella, Borealis, Berry Blue, Blue Belle, Blue Velvet and Sugar Mountain).
The temps got down to 20 degrees on Saturday night (4/9/16) and it did not hurt my blossoms or any of the fruit sets (Very happy to see this!) My other fruit trees(sweet cherries) that were in full blossom appear to have lost the fruit but if the trees (pears) with blossoms that were not in full bloom were fine and bloomed on Monday.  I think Spring is finally in Pittsburgh!!

Rusell, Pittsburgh, PA

Zone 6a - OH - Spring Haskap Blossoms

Berry Smart Blue surrounded by 3 Borealis planted in 2012

All four (3 Borealis, 1 Berry Smart Blue in middle) blooming very nicely and I have hopes for a good crop. However, we are in central Ohio where our weather is very unpredictable. We had high winds of 60 mph all day yesterday so it was impossible to get a cover to stay on the bushes, I just hoped for the best. The winds finally died down early morning and then the frost, fortunately it was not too heavy. I plan on putting bird netting over them too this year when the berries start to ripen so I’ll have some berries for myself. 

Jane, Granville, OH, zone 6b

Zone 6b - MD - plentiful haskap harvest

The harvest was plentiful (in 2015) for both varieties (2 Borealis, 2 Berry Smart Blue, planted May 2012). The harsh summer heat pretty well toasted the plants afterward but I look forward to their bouncing back.

Sykesville, MD

Zone 6b - NY - Fall colors

Zone 6b/7 summer temperatures mid 80s to high 80s. Occasionally mid 90s. Very sandy soil but I water them more frequently than other shrubs. Pollination is good. 

Honey Bee is the healthiest looking.  It has grown taller than Borealis but not as bushy.  It actually has some new growth but most of it looks like it wants to go dormant. Both have produced fruit that was twice the size of Berry Blue.

Borealis and HoneyBee

Photo taken August 29, 2015 shows Borealis on the left and Honey Bee on the right, both planted 2014.  Honey Bee looks very healthy while Borealis is starting to loss some color as it gets closer to dormancy. Borealis is nice and bushy. Honey Bee flowered and produced a few fruit in mid July of the year it arrived and planted in a pot.  This year was normal with ripe fruit second week of June.

Berry Blue

Berry Blue planted 2012.  It is losing some leaves but I expect it will be fine in the spring. It seems to be approaching dormancy faster than Honey Bee. (Editor's note: Russian varieties typically drop their leaves earlier than those with some Kuril Island or Japanese genetics, such as Borealis and Honey Bee).

Sugar Mountain Blue

Sugar Mountain planted 2014. It is doing poorly with very little growth this year. (Editor's note: One plant trial does not speak for this variety as a whole - most of our Sugar Mountain Blues put on 2 feet of growth their first year, similar to Berry Blue)

Dan, Long Island, New York, zone 6b