A ‘Blue Berry’ for the Prairies

Ah … blueberries! That versatile little fruit is delicious and nutritious and we get plenty of customers asking for plants. For those customers we have good news and bad news.

The bad news first – blueberries are not hardy in the Calgary region and they also prefer an acidic soil which is the opposite of the highly alkaline soils we garden with here. That’s why we don’t stock them.

But the good news is we have a wonderful alternative! The honeyberry, or haskap, is a non-climbing, native honeysuckle that does very well here and delivers prolific harvests of delicious blue berries. It’s a very satisfying substitute.

A few facts about honeyberries

• Even though older varieties of honeyberry were bitter, the newer cultivars that we grow here are sweet and delicious.
• Honeyberry shrubs have a compact form and do not sucker or spread. That means that, unlike other hardy berries such as raspberries or saskatoons, honeyberries have a great role to play in your landscape design.
• White flowers attract pollinators in the spring.
• Plant in a location that receives at least six hours of sun per day.
• Keep well watered, especially at first.
• Honeyberries are more tolerant of wet conditions than dry.
• You will need two different honeyberry cultivars for optimal fruit production.

So if you have a hankering for little blue berries in your yard, spare a thought for the plucky, hardy honeyberry who is sure to be a much less demanding friend than the blueberry.

You can browse our selection of honeyberry plants on our online store. But if you prefer to shop in person, of course we would love to see you in the greenhouse! Our opening hours are as follows:

• APRIL –
  Tuesday – Saturday… 10am to 4pm
• MAY –
  Monday – Friday… 9-6
  Saturday… 10-3
  Sunday… 10-3

You can find us at 243015 Boundary Road, Rocky View County.

Map and directions at: https://bloomfieldgardencentre.net/contact/map/