The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Fruit => Topic started by: arobwk on August 27, 2018, 12:30:55 am
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I very recently picked up a couple of Honeyberry plants (described as Lonicera caerulea - variety "Morena") from Morrisons at £2 a pop: wasn't much aware of Honeyberry at point of purchase, but thought "interesting, I'll give them a try".
I've done a bit of research since and clearly this is a soft-fruit on the up! Here's one link that provides a load of info: https://www.lovehoneyberry.com/welcome-to-lovehoneyberry/ (https://www.lovehoneyberry.com/welcome-to-lovehoneyberry/)
Am thinking best to get in a different Honeyberry variety as a pollinator partner for improved yields, but wondering whether any members have personal experience of growing Honeyberry and, in particular, the variety Morena.
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I have no idea what variet(ies) mine are - I bought 2 young plants from wilco a couple of years ago. This year was the first time for any berries.. a massive crop of 4!. It's too early to really make comments 'cos i probably picked them when they were under-ripe to beat the birdies. I was underwhelmed by the lack of taste. Hopefully in future years they'll crop heavily and I can make a fair judgement. They are growing well as plants though despite my general neglect.
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I have two honey berries, not sure what variety, that i got from one of the garden catalogues, suttons or something. This is their third year and they have certainly put on a decent amount of foliage and I have had a modest crop each year. They are quite tart but would be great in jam i think. I haven't had anywhere near enough to make jam though! The birds also tend to get them before i do.
I got them because it is very difficult to have soft fruit grow outdoors here and I figured, since they originated from Siberia, they might stand a chance. Considering the climate here, I am pleased with how they have done, anything that survives the winter deserves a place in the garden! They flower early in the season so are one of the first soft fruits to ripen.
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Bare in mind, climate in Siberia is nothing like Scotland ;)
In fact it's just like canada - winter -40C, summer +30C and plenty of sunshine. A lot more sunshine than anywhere in the UK.
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I'm thinking the TAS jury is still deliberating its verdict on this one then!!
I seem to recall coming across reference to a Hb producer in mainland Scotland so I guess it can work. However, I will be popping them into the ground with somewhat reduced expectations.
That said: perhaps you good folks have a single variety issue with low self-pollination - something that I'm anticipating also. Planting a different variety alongside might help with yields: of course, if not sure what variety you have, that might be a bit hit and miss, but worth a try (perhaps going for something advertised as "new variety"). Just a thought - although I seem to think that, a bit like apples, different varieties have different flowering periods so might need to check blossom time for any new variety one might choose.
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Bare in mind, climate in Siberia is nothing like Scotland ;)
In fact it's just like canada - winter -40C, summer +30C and plenty of sunshine. A lot more sunshine than anywhere in the UK.
It was more that if something can survive the siberian climate then it has a chnace of surviving the winds of Orkney!
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Mine fruited at the same time as my blueberries first started ripening but they're young bushes.. we'll see.
I'm trying to hold back from my usual OTT approach to stuff. My theory of better to have too much than too little had left me with so much excess this year and no passing trade. I did take some into the village and give it away but even picking stuff became a chore. It's a shame to see the waste.
pgk
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Playing safe, have bought a 'Kamtschatica' variety to plant with the 'Morena'. Alas, it was 4x the price (but it is a substantially bigger plant).
Now the long wait (hoping they blossom at about the same time!)