Lonicera caerulea 'Blue Belle' (early-season)
Blue Belle Haskap, Blue Belle Honeyberry, Tomichka Haskap
- Main interest:
- compact variety, early bloomer, good pollinator for early-season varieties
- Exposure:
- full sun to partial shade
- Soil humidity:
- moist soil; well drained
- Flower colour:
- creamy white
- Fragrance:
- Mildly fragrant
- Flowering period:
- April to May
- Foliage:
- green
- USDA Hardiness:
- zone 2a: -45.5 °C (-50 °F) View Zone Map
- Mature height & width (max.):
- height: 4 ft (1.2 m) width: 4 ft (1.2 m)
- Use:
- edible garden, orchard, hedge, mass planting, butterfly garden
Blue Belle Haskap is a variety of Russian origin, also called 'Tomichka'. This cultivar is an interesting fruit shrub with a dense and fairly compact growing habit. It is medium-sized, growing to 5 ft. tall and 4 ft. wide. The narrow, green leaves do not develop any appreciable fall colour.
It features slightly fragrant creamy white flowers along the branches in early spring. Blue Belle is valued for its abundance of magnificent, navy blue berries with powder blue overtones. Flavour is comparable to sweet, wild blueberries with a tangy hint of currant. An early fruiting variety, the berries are usually ready for picking from late spring to early summer. It is considered to be somewhat self-pollinating, but as with most Haskaps it tends to set heavier quantities of fruit with a different variety of Haskap growing nearby. It is a good pollinator for Berry Blue and Aurora.
Blue Belle is very hardy, and it is a good choice for attracting pollinators to your yard. Use in edible gardens, and as part of a mixed or massed hedge.
$16.99 - $41.99
Synonym(s): Lonicera caerulea 'Tomichka', Lonicera caerulea 'Berry Smart Belle', Lonicera caerulea 'Honey Sweet', Lonicera caerulea 'Polar Jewel', Lonicera caerulea 'Blue Bell'
Also known as: Blue Honeysuckle, Sweetberry Honeysuckle, Blue-berried Honeysuckle