Lonicera caerulea var. kamtschatica
Blue honeysuckle
Common names: Kamchatka honeysuckle, Honeyberry, Mayberry
Photo: Basik07 · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The Maibeere is the first berry of the year and ripens already in May (week 19 to 22), weeks before the strawberry. Its elongated blue fruits taste like a mix of blueberry and elderberry, sweet-sour with a fine spice. The shrub is extremely winter hardy, low maintenance and produces reliably after two to three years. Plant always at least two different varieties, for example 'Kamtschatka' and 'Wojtek', because the Maibeere needs a pollinator partner.
Care instructions
Plant the Maibeere in autumn (October week 42) or early spring (March week 11) in a sunny to partially shaded spot with humus-rich, slightly acidic soil. Keep the root area cool and moist with bark mulch. Cut only after a few years, then in winter (February week 7) remove only old, withered shoots to keep the shrub young.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, well-drained, loamy, moist
Feeding
Medium feeder
Pruning
Companion planting
Good neighbors
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Notes from real gardens
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From the magazine
The honeyberry: the first berry of the year, tough and undemanding
The honeyberry ripens as early as May, long before the strawberry. It's extremely hardy, easy about soil and barely troubled by pests. There's just one rule to know: without a second variety, the basket stays empty.
The Jostaberry: Thornless, Tough, and the Best of Both Berries
The jostaberry crosses blackcurrant with gooseberry and inherits the best of both: thornless branches, tough disease resistance, and a flavour that sits right between its parents. And unlike the honeyberry, one single plant is all you need.