Honeyberry Pollination Chart: Compatibility & Bloom Guide
The short answer: A useful honeyberry pollenizer must pass three tests: it must be a genetically different cultivar, it must flower at the same time, and it must be genetically compatible. A second plant of the same named cultivar is the same clone and does not provide cross-pollen.
Read across the row for the variety you want pollinated and use the columns as pollen sources. Dark green means the directional pairing is backed by controlled crosses or a documented breeder, extension, or specialist recommendation with usable flower overlap. It does not require identical display buckets: direct evidence can support a Good pair across adjacent buckets, especially when a cultivar such as Boreal Beast spans more than one period. Light green means the pair may work but is not dependable enough to call Good; confirm actual flower overlap locally. White means the pair is not dependable because bloom is too far apart, the plants are the same clone, or a source reports a poor combined result.
Table of Contents
HONEYBERRY POLLINATION CHART
| Pollen Source | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Berry Blue | Blue Banana | Blue Belle | Blue Diamond | Blue Forest | Blue Hokkaido | Blue Moon | Blue Moose | Blue Pacific | Blue Pagoda | Blue Palm | Blue Sea | Blue Treasure | Blue Velvet | Boreal Bliss | Borealis | Cinderella | Early Blue | Giant’s Heart | Happy Giant | Honey Bee | Indigo Yum | Kawai | Keiko | Maxie | Morena | Polar Jewel | Strawberry Sensation | Sugar Mountain Blue | Sunrise | Taka | Willa | Wojtek | |||||||||
| Selected Variety | CAAurora | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RUBerry Blue | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PRBlue Banana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RUBlue Belle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PRBlue Diamond | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RUBlue Forest | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPBlue Hokkaido | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPBlue Moon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PRBlue Moose | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPBlue Pacific | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPBlue Pagoda | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PRBlue Palm | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPBlue Sea | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PRBlue Treasure | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPBlue Velvet | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BOBoreal Beast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BOBoreal Beauty | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BOBoreal Bliss | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BOBoreal Blizzard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CABorealis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RUCinderella | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPEarly Blue | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PRGiant’s Heart | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PRHappy Giant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAHoney Bee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAIndigo Gem | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAIndigo Treat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAIndigo Yum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPKawai | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPKeiko | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPMaxie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RUMorena | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RUPolar Jewel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PRStrawberry Sensation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RUSugar Mountain Blue | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPSunrise | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPTaka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CATundra | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JPWilla | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RUWojtek | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Swipe left or right within the chart to compare all 40 varieties. Tap a cell to identify both cultivars.
Printable honeyberry pollination charts
Choose the layout that is easiest to reference. The A-Z chart makes a variety quick to find, while the bloom-window chart keeps honeyberries with similar flowering times together. Click either image or its link to open the full-size version.
On a phone, tap either chart to open the full-size image, then pinch to zoom and drag around it. Use the A-Z chart to find a variety quickly, or the bloom-window chart to compare honeyberries that flower at similar times.
Open full-size A-Z chart
Open full-size bloom-window chart
Light green means “verify,” not “half a crop.” It marks a pair that may overlap locally or has only limited/OK directional evidence, but lacks enough cultivar-level support to call it Good.
How Honeyberry Compatibility Works
Self-incompatibility: commercial honeyberries have complete flowers, but fruit set normally requires pollen from a genetically different cultivar. Planting two copies of the same cultivar does not solve the problem.
Pedigree matters: closely related cultivars can share incompatibility alleles. University of Saskatchewan crossing work specifically found poor pairings within the closely related Tundra/Borealis/Indigo group and among several other U of S genetic groups, even when flowers overlapped.
Subspecies and origin affect timing: Russian and Canadian material tends to flower earlier than Japanese and Kuril-derived material. Japanese selections can begin two to three weeks later, so origin is useful for bloom planning but is not, by itself, proof of compatibility.
Different origins can cross: the RU/CA/BO/JP/PR codes are breeding-origin labels, not compatibility barriers. University of Saskatchewan breeding records document Russian × Japanese, Kuril × Japanese, and other cross-origin hybrids. Use bloom overlap and cultivar-level pair evidence to choose partners.
Boreal Beast spans two periods: it is shown in Mid because flowering starts there, but University of Saskatchewan records show it continuing into Late. Direct cultivar compatibility evidence takes priority over this single display bucket.
Ploidy can matter: Lonicera caerulea includes diploid and tetraploid cytotypes, and research reports difficulty crossing 2x and 4x material. Cultivar-level cytology is not published for much of the commercial list, so the chart does not claim a ploidy verdict for those cultivars. Without stronger crossing evidence, timing-only matches remain Partial and should be verified locally.
Honeyberry Bloom Window Overview
These are relative bloom groups, not fixed calendar dates. Weather, chill accumulation, elevation, and region can compress or shift the season.
Honeyberry Pollinator Quick Reference
This table is directional: each row lists up to five pollen sources for the variety in the first column. It lists source-backed Good matches first and prioritizes varieties sold by Food Forest Nursery; when no Good source is documented, it shows the closest Partial matches. Origin labels provide breeding context; they are not compatibility barriers.
| Variety | Bloom | Breeding / origin group | Pollination options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora | Early | University of Saskatchewan hybrids | Good options: Boreal Beast, Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat, Tundra, Berry Blue |
| Berry Blue | Early | Russian / Eastern European | Good options: Aurora, Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat, Tundra, Blue Belle |
| Blue Banana | Mid | Proprietary / lineage unverified | Good options: Blue Palm, Happy Giant |
| Blue Belle | Early | Russian / Eastern European | Good options: Aurora, Berry Blue, Blue Forest, Cinderella, Honey Bee |
| Blue Diamond | Early | Proprietary / lineage unverified | Closest Partial matches (verify local bloom): Aurora, Boreal Blizzard, Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat, Tundra |
| Blue Forest | Early | Russian / Eastern European | Good options: Aurora, Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat, Tundra, Berry Blue |
| Blue Hokkaido | Late | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Giant’s Heart, Keiko, Strawberry Sensation, Willa |
| Blue Moon | Very Late | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Blue Sea, Blue Velvet |
| Blue Moose | Mid | Proprietary / lineage unverified | Good options: Blue Palm, Happy Giant |
| Blue Pacific | Late | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Giant’s Heart, Keiko, Strawberry Sensation, Willa |
| Blue Pagoda | Late | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Giant’s Heart, Keiko, Strawberry Sensation, Willa |
| Blue Palm | Mid | Proprietary / lineage unverified | Good options: Blue Banana, Blue Moose, Happy Giant |
| Blue Sea | Very Late | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Blue Moon, Blue Velvet |
| Blue Treasure | Late | Proprietary / lineage unverified | Good options: Giant’s Heart, Keiko, Strawberry Sensation, Willa |
| Blue Velvet | Very Late | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Blue Moon, Blue Sea |
| Boreal Beast | Mid | Boreal series | Good options: Aurora, Boreal Beauty, Boreal Blizzard, Boreal Bliss, Giant’s Heart |
| Boreal Beauty | Late | Boreal series | Good options: Boreal Beast, Giant’s Heart, Kawai, Keiko, Maxie |
| Boreal Bliss | Late | Boreal series | Good options: Boreal Beast, Boreal Blizzard, Giant’s Heart, Keiko, Strawberry Sensation |
| Boreal Blizzard | Mid | Boreal series | Good options: Boreal Beast, Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat, Tundra, Boreal Bliss |
| Borealis | Early | University of Saskatchewan hybrids | Good options: Aurora, Berry Blue, Blue Belle, Blue Forest, Cinderella |
| Cinderella | Early | Russian / Eastern European | Good options: Aurora, Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat, Tundra, Berry Blue |
| Early Blue | Early | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Sunrise |
| Giant’s Heart | Late | Proprietary / lineage unverified | Good options: Boreal Beast, Boreal Beauty, Blue Hokkaido, Blue Pacific, Blue Pagoda |
| Happy Giant | Mid | Proprietary / lineage unverified | Good options: Blue Banana, Blue Moose, Blue Palm |
| Honey Bee | Early | University of Saskatchewan hybrids | Good options: Aurora, Boreal Beast, Boreal Blizzard, Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat |
| Indigo Gem | Early | University of Saskatchewan hybrids | Good options: Aurora, Berry Blue, Blue Belle, Blue Forest, Cinderella |
| Indigo Treat | Early | University of Saskatchewan hybrids | Good options: Aurora, Berry Blue, Blue Belle, Blue Forest, Cinderella |
| Indigo Yum | Early | University of Saskatchewan hybrids | Good options: Aurora, Berry Blue, Blue Belle, Blue Forest, Cinderella |
| Kawai | Late | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Boreal Beauty, Giant’s Heart, Keiko, Strawberry Sensation, Willa |
| Keiko | Late | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Boreal Beast, Boreal Beauty, Blue Hokkaido, Blue Pacific, Blue Pagoda |
| Maxie | Late | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Boreal Beauty, Giant’s Heart, Keiko, Strawberry Sensation, Willa |
| Morena | Early | Russian / Eastern European | Good options: Aurora, Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat, Tundra, Berry Blue |
| Polar Jewel | Early | Russian / Eastern European | Good options: Aurora, Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat, Tundra, Berry Blue |
| Strawberry Sensation | Late | Proprietary / lineage unverified | Good options: Boreal Beast, Boreal Beauty, Blue Hokkaido, Blue Pacific, Blue Pagoda |
| Sugar Mountain Blue | Early | Russian / Eastern European | Good options: Aurora, Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat, Tundra, Berry Blue |
| Sunrise | Early | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Early Blue |
| Taka | Late | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Boreal Beauty, Giant’s Heart, Keiko, Strawberry Sensation, Willa |
| Tundra | Early | University of Saskatchewan hybrids | Good options: Aurora, Berry Blue, Blue Belle, Blue Forest, Cinderella |
| Willa | Late | Japanese / Thompson selections | Good options: Boreal Beast, Boreal Beauty, Blue Hokkaido, Blue Pacific, Blue Pagoda |
| Wojtek | Mid | Russian / Eastern European | Good options: Aurora, Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat, Tundra, Berry Blue |
Other Factors That Affect Honeyberry Pollination
Cold-weather bee activity
Flowers open very early, often when honey-bee flight is limited. Bumblebees and other native bees that forage in cool weather are especially valuable.
Weather changes overlap
Cold springs prolong bloom; rapid warming compresses it. Wind and rain can remove older flowers and turn an adjacent-window pairing from adequate to ineffective.
Closely related cultivars
Shared parentage can mean shared incompatibility genes. Use an unrelated confirmed pollenizer instead of assuming two different names are enough.
Alias duplicates
Hoka/Sugar Pie, Kapu/Solo, and Tana/Maxie are cultivar/trade-name pairs for the same genetic plants. They were consolidated and never treated as cross-pollinators.
Cytotype uncertainty
Most commercial listings do not publish chromosome counts. When a pair is not breeder-tested, verify ploidy if reliable cultivar-level cytology becomes available.
Planting arrangement
Keep pollenizers in the same block, close enough that bees move between cultivars during one foraging trip. More than two unrelated cultivars provide useful insurance.
A Practical Planting Plan
- Choose at least two genetically different cultivars.
- Prefer a dark-green pairing backed by direct compatibility evidence and usable bloom overlap; documented overlap can span adjacent display buckets.
- Use light-green pairs only after confirming they flower together in your climate.
- For a larger planting, include a third unrelated compatible cultivar as insurance.
- Support bumblebees and other early native pollinators; avoid insecticides on open flowers.
Early Bees and Bloom-Time Care
Honeyberry flowers are insect-pollinated and open unusually early. Bumblebees and other insects that forage in cool spring weather are especially useful; recent controlled research also found Bombus species to be the most suitable haskap pollinators under the conditions studied.
Keep compatible cultivars in the same planting block, protect open flowers from insecticides, and watch the planting during bloom. A cold day does not automatically mean failure, but wind, rain, and sudden warming can reduce visits or shorten the period when both cultivars are open together.
Why Honeyberries Bloom but Set Little Fruit
- Verify two truly different cultivars. The same clone under two trade names does not provide cross-pollen; check the alias notes before counting two labels as two partners.
- Check the exact pair. Prefer a dark-green relationship supported by breeder or cultivar evidence. Shared origin or an adjacent bloom bucket alone does not prove compatibility.
- Watch actual overlap. Both shrubs need open flowers at the same time in your location. Record bloom over more than one spring when a light-green timing-only pair is your only option.
- Look for bee movement. Confirm that insects are visiting both cultivars during the shared bloom period and keep the shrubs close enough for movement within a foraging trip.
- Account for weather. Rain and wind can reduce flower life or insect activity, while a quick warm spell can compress bloom enough to weaken a marginal pairing.
Sources and Method
These 40 search-supported cultivars were reconciled from 167 source observations. Pair ratings preserve the directional University of Saskatchewan crossing-and-bloom table, primary breeder test crosses, named pollinator recommendations, multi-year bloom observations, pedigree cautions, and a conservative timing-only fallback. Direct pair evidence outranks broad bloom bins; origin codes are not compatibility barriers; timing-only evidence never earns a dark-green Good rating.
- University of Saskatchewan Gardening: Haskap Pollination and Planting
- University of Wisconsin Extension: Honeyberries
- Journal of Central European Agriculture: Haskap Pollinators and Fruit Set
- University of Saskatchewan: compatibility, flowering, and ripening charts
- University of Saskatchewan: cultivar compatibility matrix
- University of Saskatchewan: Boreal Beast direct pollination record
- University of Saskatchewan: Boreal Blizzard companion-plant record
- University of Saskatchewan: Boreal Beauty compatibility record
- University of Saskatchewan: Boreal Bliss test crosses
- University of Saskatchewan: Haskap Pollination Strategy
- University of Saskatchewan: documented cross-origin Haskap crosses
- Canadian Journal of Plant Science: Russian, Japanese, and Kuril phenology
- University of Kentucky: Haskap cultivar trial
- Cornell/Willsboro: Northern New York Haskap trial
- Utah State University Extension: haskap subspecies and pollination
- Hokkaido University: diploid/tetraploid crossing difficulty
- Journal of Berry Research: reproductive biology and self-sterility