Fruit Tree Planner

Berry Blue is tart-forward with sharp acidity, with soft, juicy flesh and small fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for jam, juice, and serving as a pollinizer for Borealis, Tundra, and the Indigo series, but skip it if you want fresh eating - the pronounced tartness and small size make it less appealing straight from the shrub compared to USask or Berries Unlimited varieties. It usually ripens around mid May, earlier than most of the others shown.

Blue Forest is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with firm, dense flesh and large fruit. In this group, it is one of the earliest ripening choices. Choose it for fresh eating, jams, and ornamental-edible plantings where foliage appeal matters; compatible with the early USask group as a companion, but skip it if you want the most intensely flavored honeyberry - Blue Forest is milder than Borealis, Aurora, or the Berries Unlimited varieties; it is valued partly for its ornamental habit. It usually ripens around mid May, earlier than most of the others shown.

Indigo Gem is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with firm, dense flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the firmest choices, so it handles baking, slicing, or holding its shape better. Choose it for fresh eating and mixed home berry plantings; the most productive of the Indigo series, but skip it if you want the largest berries - Indigo Gem is the most reliable of its series but not the biggest; Boreal Blizzard or Happy Giant win on size. It usually ripens around mid May, earlier than most of the others shown.

Indigo Treat is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with firm, dense flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the earliest ripening choices. Choose it for fresh eating and early-season harvests where Tundra is unavailable, but skip it if you want the largest possible berries - Indigo Treat is similar to Tundra but about 10 percent smaller. It usually ripens around mid May, earlier than most of the others shown.

Indigo Yum is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with firm, dense flesh and very large fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating; the largest-fruited of the Indigo series and a reliable early-season producer, but skip it if you want an easy-to-propagate variety - Indigo Yum is notably difficult to propagate from cuttings compared to other USask selections. It usually ripens around mid May, earlier than most of the others shown.

Aurora is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with firm, dense flesh and very large fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, jam, and maximum flavor complexity from their honeyberry, but skip it if you want to pair Boreal Blizzard as the companion - Aurora and Blizzard show poor fruit set together; choose Honeybee or Boreal Beast for Blizzard instead. It usually ripens around early June, later than most of the others shown.

Blue Banana is very sweet with low acidity, with soft, juicy flesh and very large fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for fresh eating and impressing visitors with a honeyberry unlike anything from the USask series, but skip it if you want the most extreme cold hardiness in zones 2 to 4 - Blue Banana is rated to zone 2 but the Berries Unlimited types are less tested in extreme cold than USask varieties. It usually ripens around early June, later than most of the others shown.

Blue Horn is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with medium-firm flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the latest ripening choices. Choose it for fresh eating and cross-pollination pairing with mid-season companions, but skip it if you want well-documented variety performance data - published information on Blue Horn is limited compared to USask or Berries Unlimited varieties. It usually ripens around early June, later than most of the others shown.

Blue Moose is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with firm, dense flesh and large fruit. In this group, it is one of the latest ripening choices. Choose it for fresh eating and abundant harvests; the dome-shaped crown to 5 ft suits medium to large spaces, but skip it if you want to fit their honeyberry in a tight space - Blue Moose grows vigorously to 5 ft and wider; Blue Mist or Berry Smart Blue are the better choice for small gardens or containers. It usually ripens around early June, later than most of the others shown.

Boreal Beast is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with firm, dense flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the latest ripening choices. Choose it for fresh eating and a bridge pollinizer that overlaps both Boreal Blizzard and Boreal Beauty, but skip it if you want maximum berry size above all else - Boreal Beast is valued more for its flavor and pollination timing than for competing with Blizzard or Happy Giant on raw weight. It usually ripens around early June, later than most of the others shown.

Boreal Blizzard is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with firm, dense flesh and very large fruit. In this group, this is one of the richest-tasting options. Choose it for fresh eating, freezing, and commercial-scale harvests where berry size matters, but skip it if you want to use Aurora as the companion - Aurora shows poor fruit set with Blizzard per USask controlled crosses; use Boreal Beast as the primary companion instead. It usually ripens around early June, later than most of the others shown.

Borealis is very sweet with low acidity, with soft, juicy flesh and large fruit. In this group, it is one of the sweeter, lower-acid choices. Choose it for fresh eating straight from the shrub; not suited to shipping or long storage, but skip it if you want berries that hold up to handling, freezing, or mechanical harvest - the soft texture falls apart quickly. It usually ripens around early June, later than most of the others shown.

Happy Giant is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with juicy flesh with moderate firmness and very large fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating where berry size is the priority; excellent yields by years 4 to 5, but skip it if you want high yields in the first two or three years - Happy Giant is notably slow to establish and takes four to five years to reach full productivity compared to USask varieties. It usually ripens around early June, later than most of the others shown.

Honeybee is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with firm, dense flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the latest ripening choices. Choose it for serving as the primary pollinizer for all early USask varieties; useful fresh eating crop as well, but skip it if you want the most intensely sweet or largest-fruited honeyberry - Honeybee is bred first for pollination coverage, second for eating quality. It usually ripens around early June, later than most of the others shown.

Blue Hokkaido is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with very crisp, firm texture and very large fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating where crisp texture is preferred over the softer chew of USask varieties, but skip it if you want a variety with extensive extreme-cold field testing below zone 3 - Blue Hokkaido is a Japanese type rated to zone 3, but USask varieties have more proven performance in the coldest winters. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Blue Mist is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with medium-firm flesh and large fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for smaller gardens, container growing, and mixed fruit plantings where a compact late-season honeyberry fits the space, but skip it if you want maximum yield per plant - the dwarf habit limits total productivity compared to full-sized shrubs. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Blue Moon is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with medium-firm flesh and medium fruit. Choose it for pairing with Blue Velvet or Blue Sea as a late-season companion; the internal-color ripeness signal is a useful harvesting cue, but skip it if you want outstanding eating quality from their late-season variety - Blue Moon is planted more for pollination pairing and the ripeness-indicator trait than for best-in-class flavor. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Blue Pacific is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with medium-firm flesh and large fruit. Choose it for small gardens, late-season fresh eating, and as a pollinizer for other Kuril-type late bloomers, but skip it if you want the most intensely flavored late-season berry - Blue Pacific is pleasant but mild compared to Blue Velvet or Giant's Heart. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Blue Pagoda is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with medium-firm flesh and medium fruit. Choose it for serving as a late-season pollinizer for Blue Velvet, Blue Sea, and other Kuril-types; grown for pollination coverage rather than eating quality, but skip it if you want fresh eating or jam - Blue Pagoda is planted for its pollination timing, not its fruit quality, which most sources rate as inferior to other honeyberries. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Blue Sea is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with very crisp, firm texture and very large fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for containers, small garden beds, and late-season fresh eating where a dwarf plant with large fruit is the priority, but skip it if you want heavy total harvests - the dwarf habit limits yield per plant despite the large individual berry size. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Blue Velvet is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with very crisp, firm texture and large fruit. Choose it for fresh eating, ornamental mixed plantings where the distinctive foliage adds visual interest, and late-season harvests, but skip it if you want the widest zone 2 to 3 cold hardiness tested - Blue Velvet is rated to zone 2 but the USask series has more field-testing in extreme cold. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Boreal Beauty is very sweet with low acidity and real depth, with firm, dense flesh and very large fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, freezing, and extending the honeyberry season a full month past the early varieties, but skip it if you want their first harvest as soon as possible - Boreal Beauty ripens the latest of any USask variety, arriving well after Borealis and Tundra. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Giant's Heart is very sweet with low acidity, with firm, dense flesh and large fruit. In this group, it is one of the sweeter, lower-acid choices. Choose it for fresh eating where flavor novelty is prized; pairs naturally with Strawberry Sensation for two back-to-back unusual flavor profiles, but skip it if you want purely sweet or purely tart - Giant's Heart has a savory smoked note that some palates love and others find unexpected. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Keiko is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with firm, dense flesh and large fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, refrigerated storage, and late-season Pacific Northwest haskap growing, but skip it if you want the most extreme cold-hardiness below zone 3 - Keiko is suited to zones 3 to 7 but the USask series is better tested in the coldest winters. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Pirika is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with firm, dense flesh and large fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating and late-season Japanese haskap harvests paired with Keiko, Taka, or Tana, but skip it if you want to pair it with early Russian or USask varieties like Borealis or Tundra - all Thompson haskap types bloom a month or more after the early group and will not overlap. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Strawberry Sensation is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with firm, dense flesh and medium fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating for the flavor novelty and as a late-season crop that extends the harvest well past early varieties, but skip it if you want a compact honeyberry for small spaces - Strawberry Sensation grows into one of the tallest shrubs in the lineup, reaching 8 to 9 ft. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Taka is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for fresh eating, especially for people unfamiliar with honeyberry who want a gentle introduction to the flavor; pairs with Keiko and Tana, but skip it if you want pronounced complexity or tartness - Taka is mild by design, which some growers find less interesting than Aurora or Berry Blue. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.

Tana is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with firm, dense flesh and large fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating with extended fridge storage, CSA or market growing where shelf life matters, and Pacific Northwest late-season harvests, but skip it if you want the most extreme cold hardiness below zone 3 - Tana is a Thompson/OSU Japanese variety suited to zones 3 to 8 and less tested in extreme continental cold than USask selections. It usually ripens around late June, in the middle of this group.