Kamchatka honeysuckle: Aurora, Borealis, Boreal Bist, Blue Velvet, Sineglazka, Kalinka

Honeysuckle has traditionally been very popular among gardeners because it combines the properties of an ornamental plant and a berry bush. Currently, many varieties of this crop have been bred, and its cultivation has become possible not only in areas with a warm climate, but also in colder regions. One of its widely known varieties is Kamchatka honeysuckle, on the basis of which many productive varieties have been bred.

Description of Kamchatka honeysuckle

Kamchatka honeysuckle (Lonicera kamtschatica) grows naturally in the Far East, Primorsky Territory, and is found in Altai, Sakhalin, Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands.

Edible fruits of Kamchatka honeysuckle are tasty and healthy

Here are the main characteristics of this plant:

Parameter	Meaning
Plant type	Perennial deciduous shrub
General form	Medium spreading, highly branched bush up to 2 m high and up to 2 m in diameter
Root system	Tree-like, highly branched, strong, the largest number of roots are located at a depth of 0.2 to 0.4 m
Escapes	Powerful, pubescent, young red-brown, bright, later dark brown, the bark on old shoots cracks and peels off in strips
Leaves	Rounded-elongated, opposite, pointed, dark green with light veins, up to 7 cm long and up to 4 cm wide. At a young age, pubescent; as the leaf develops, the pubescence partially or completely disappears. The leaf blade is of medium density, the petioles are of medium size.
Flowers	Large, bell-shaped, drooping, light yellow, with long stamens
Fruit	The berries are barrel-shaped, very elongated, up to 25-35 mm, blue, almost black, with a bluish waxy coating on the surface. Ripen in June.

Varieties of Kamchatka honeysuckle

Kamchatka honeysuckle was taken by breeders as a basis for developing a large number of edible varieties, descriptions and photos of some of which are given in this article. The material is for informational purposes only; more accurate information can be found in specialized literature.

A short video regarding the cultivation of Kamchatka honeysuckle can be viewed at the link:

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Aurora

Kamchatka honeysuckle Aurora is a variety of Canadian selection.Derived from the Russian Solovey and Japanese MT46.55. Grown on an industrial scale since 2012.

The Aurora variety bush grows up to 1.8 m. It is dense, compact, slightly spreading, and consists of erect shoots. The fruits reach removable ripeness in the last ten days of June, their average weight is 1.8-2.2 g. At the same time, up to 5-6 kg can be obtained from 1 bush. The fruits have a sweet taste.

Important! The fruits of this variety are not prone to shedding and are suitable for mechanical harvesting.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Borealis

Kamchatka honeysuckle Borealis was bred by specialists from the University of Saskatchewan (Canada) as a result of cross-pollination of the varieties Kyiv 8 and Tomichka. The plant forms a fairly compact bush 1.2-1.4 m tall. The foliage of shoots is average. Self-sterile variety, requires pollinators.

The fruits are blue, with a bluish waxy coating, rounded-cylindrical, with an average weight of about 1.6 g. The pulp is red, quite juicy, and sweet. Fruiting occurs from mid to late summer, yields can reach up to 4.5 kg per bush. The berries sit firmly and do not fall off.

Important! Kamchatka honeysuckle Borealis has very good resistance to fungal diseases.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Large-fruited

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Large-fruited was bred by specialists of the domestic breeding school. The bush is obverse-conical, up to 1.8 m in height and about the same in diameter, dense, highly thickened.

The berries are elongated, bluish-blue, sweet and sour in taste. Ripen in mid-summer. Shedding is average. To bear fruit, this variety of Kamchatka honeysuckle requires pollinators.

Important! The variety has good disease resistance, but does not tolerate drought well.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Boreal Bist

Boreal Bist is a relatively young variety of Kamchatka honeysuckle, bred at the University of Saskatchewan only in 2016. In a short time it became famous and gained popularity due to the fact that it is very well suited for mechanized harvesting. The bushes of this variety are dense, up to 1.5 in height, the shoots are strong and thick.

The variety is a late variety, bearing fruit from late July to September. The berries are broadly oval in shape, black and purple, with juicy fleshy pulp. The taste is sweet, with sourness. The berries stick well to the branches and hardly fall off.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Boreal Blizzard

Kamchatka honeysuckle Boreal Blizzard is another product of the breeding work of specialists from the University of Saskatchewan (Canada). The variety was bred in 2016 based on the genomes of Russian and Japanese varieties of edible honeysuckle. Belongs to the late variety, bears fruit in August-September.

The bush forms a spreading crown, the height of which can reach up to 1.5 m. The stems are straight and powerful. The berries are blue, dark, oval, with juicy sweet pulp. Their average weight is 3-3.5 g, from 1 bush you can get 4-5 kg. This variety is sensitive to lack of moisture, but has excellent frost resistance. Flowers can withstand frosts down to - 8 ° C, and the bushes themselves - up to - 40 ° C.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Blue Velvet

The Kamchatka honeysuckle variety Blue Velvet was bred by Polish breeders. The bush has a medium-spreading oval crown up to 1.7 m high, consisting of numerous straight shoots of medium thickness. The leaves are greenish-gray, velvety to the touch.

The variety is an early variety. The berries ripen in early July or a little earlier.Numerous dark blue fruits have an elongated shape, their weight usually ranges from 1-1.5 g. The total yield is up to 6 kg from each bush.

Important! Late flowering significantly reduces the likelihood of flowers of this variety freezing during return frosts.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Balalaika

Kamchatka honeysuckle Balalaika is a low bush with a dense crown, about 1.5 m high and 1-1.5 m in diameter. It is considered high-yielding. The berries are numerous, cylindrical, light blue, ripen in July or a little later.

The variety is bisexual and partially self-fertile. However, for abundant fruiting, the presence of pollinators is mandatory. The berries can be processed into any home canning product or eaten fresh.

Important! The variety tolerates dust and gas pollution well, so it can be grown within the city.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Sineglazka

The Kamchatka honeysuckle variety Sineglazka was bred by Russian specialists in 1992. The crown is up to 1.5 m high, rounded, with powerful straight shoots of a reddish-brown color with a waxy coating. They are densely covered with oval-elongated, slightly pointed, bright green leaves that often fade in full sun.

Dark blue fruits with a bluish bloom appear on the branches quite early, already in early June. Each oval-elongated berry has a mass in the range of 0.7-0.95 g. The purpose is universal. From 1 bush they usually harvest from 1.5 to 2 kg.

Important! The Kamchatka honeysuckle variety Sineglazka is self-sterile; the presence of pollinators is required to obtain a harvest.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Duet

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Duet was bred in the middle of the last century in Poland.The plant is a low, rounded, spreading bush up to 1.1 m high and a crown diameter of 1.2-1.5 m. The shoots are heavily pubescent, numerous, of medium thickness, curved. When young they are greenish-beige and later red-brown. The leaves are elongated, round, with a sharp tip, bright green, pubescent.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Duet is an early ripening plant. It begins to bear fruit at the very beginning of summer, and sometimes a little earlier. The fruits are round, spindle-shaped, dark blue with a bluish coating. The taste is pleasant, sweet, with a slight bitterness. The average weight of berries is 1.5-2.2 g, and the total yield from 1 bush can reach 3.5-4 kg.

Important! The Kamchatka honeysuckle variety Duet is not prone to shedding, is resistant to diseases, and frost-resistant.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Amur

The Amur variety is a product of the German breeding school. The bush consists of powerful, erect red-brown shoots up to 2 m high. The foliage is average. The leaf blade is narrow, long, rounded, dark green.

The variety is an early variety; fruiting begins at the very end of spring. The berries are spindle-shaped, round, dark purple, covered with a matte bluish coating. Their weight is usually in the range of 1.5-1.8 g, and the total weight of berries picked from 1 bush can reach up to 3-3.2 kg. The variety is self-sterile and requires the presence of pollinators for good yield.

Important! Amur is a fast-growing variety. It begins to bear fruit already in the 3rd year after planting, while many other varieties of Kamchatka honeysuckle begin to bear fruit only in 5-7 years.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Ruben

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Ruben is a medium spreading bush about 1.5 m tall.The shoots are erect, strong, yellowish-brown with a reddish tint. The leaves are oval-elongated, dense. Honeysuckle Kamchatka Ruben is an early ripening variety. The first fruits reach technical ripeness already in early June.

The berries are dark blue, weighing up to 1.3 g. The harvest ripens together, and the ripe berries almost do not fall off.

Important! The Kamchatka honeysuckle variety Ruben emits a strong, pleasant aroma during flowering.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Kalinka

The Kamchatka honeysuckle variety Kalinka is an early ripening variety. The plant is a dense, slightly spreading bush up to 2 m high and 1.2-1.5 m in diameter. The shoots are light brown, quite powerful, darken with age and acquire a reddish tint. The leaves are oval-elongated or ovate, with short petioles.

The fruits are dark blue with a bluish waxy coating, cylindrical in shape, rounded and elongated, weighing about 1 g. Fruiting begins in June. From 1 bush under good conditions it is possible to collect about 1.5 kg. The taste of the fruit is sweet with pronounced sourness, pleasant. The purpose of the fruit is universal. To obtain a harvest, the presence of pollinators is required, since the variety is self-sterile.

Important! The Kamchatka honeysuckle variety Kalinka has record frost resistance; it can withstand temperatures down to -45 °C.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Zoyka

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Zoika is a vigorous, rounded bush about 1.6 m high and a crown circumference of 1.2-1.3 m. The shoots are light brown, with a reddish tint, and pubescent. The leaves are dark green, rounded-elongated, almost oval.

Fruiting is consistent and occurs in mid-June. The berries are oval-elongated, dark blue, have a light waxy coating, weighing about 1 g.The taste is sweet and sour, moderately tart. Shedding rates are average. The variety is winter-hardy and has increased resistance to fungal diseases.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Icebar

Icebar, or Eisbar, is a variety of Kamchatka honeysuckle of Czech selection. It is a rounded bush with a spreading crown, about 1.5 m high and 1.2 m wide. The shoots are reddish-brown, of medium thickness and foliage. The leaves are oval-elongated, slightly pointed, green.

Fruiting occurs in June. The berries are dark blue, elongated, with a bluish waxy coating on the surface. The average fruit weight is about 1 g. The variety is self-sterile; the harvest can only be obtained if there is another type of honeysuckle nearby, which will become a pollinator.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Blue dessert

The variety is the result of breeding work by specialists from the Federal Scientific Center named after. I. V. Michurina (Russia). In 2005 it was included in the State Register. Medium-sized bush with an oval crown. The shoots are erect, slightly pubescent, grow up to 1.5 m. The leaves are lanceolate, green.

The fruits are rounded and elongated, blue with a bluish bloom, weighing 0.7-0.8 g. The total harvest from 1 bush under good conditions can reach up to 3 kg. Fruits of universal use, sweet with slight sourness. The presence of pollinators is required for harvesting.

Important! The variety has a high life expectancy - up to 50 years.

Honeysuckle Kamchatka Blueberry

This type of Kamchatka honeysuckle was bred in the Urals in the 80s of the last century as a result of free pollination of seedlings of the Smolinskaya variety. The bush reaches a height of 1.5 m, but it is quite compact. The shape of the crown resembles a reverse cone. The shoots are straight and powerful. The leaves are lanceolate, light green, small.

The yield of the variety is above average; from 1 bush you usually get 2-2.5 kg of purple berries, with a thin bluish bloom, weighing about 1 g. A distinctive feature of this variety is the taste of the fruit, which really resembles blueberry. The variety is self-sterile, and for fruiting it is necessary to plant a pollinator plant next to it.

Planting Kamchatka honeysuckle

When planting this shrub, special attention should be paid to choosing a location. Kamchatka honeysuckle tolerates replanting well, especially at a young age, but it is much better if the plant is immediately planted in a permanent place. It is better to choose a sunny site; in the shade, honeysuckle bears fruit much worse. The soil should be loamy with a neutral acidity level; on too acidic or carbonate soils the plant will be weak and the harvest will be poor.

Kamchatka honeysuckle is usually planted as seedlings. You can purchase them in specialized stores or online. When planting, it should be borne in mind that most varieties of this plant are self-sterile and require pollinators. To get a decent harvest, you need at least 3 bushes, preferably different varieties. Kamchatka honeysuckle seedlings are sold in containers filled with nutrient soil. Their root system is closed. Transplantation of such plants is carried out together with a lump of earth.

Kamchatka honeysuckle seedlings are usually sold in containers

Any time of the year is suitable for planting Kamchatka honeysuckle with ZKS, except winter. If the root system is open, then planting can be done either in early spring, or at the end of summer or autumn, after the end of the growing season.At the same time, the plant needs time to adapt to a new place, so all work is carried out no later than 1 month before the onset of frost.

The depth of the planting hole is calculated based on the volume of the root system of the seedling. Usually it is enough to go deeper by 0.4-0.5 m. For swampy areas, it is worth arranging drainage by adding a layer of expanded clay or gravel to the bottom of the hole. Be sure to add a bucket of compost or rotted manure to each hole - honeysuckle loves organic matter. It wouldn’t hurt to put a glass of wood ash in the planting holes, as well as a few tablespoons of superphosphate and any potash fertilizer. If all this is introduced in full, then for the first few years the bushes will not need any additional feeding, which will allow them to actively grow and develop.

The technology itself for planting honeysuckle seedlings is no different from Kamchatka complexity. The plant is removed from the container along with a lump of earth and placed vertically in a pre-moistened planting hole. After this, the pit is backfilled, while the soil is periodically compacted to prevent the formation of voids. The root collar is not buried; it should remain at soil level. After filling the entire pit, intensive watering is carried out, and then the tree trunk circle is mulched with humus, which will prevent moisture evaporation.

Caring for Kamchatka honeysuckle

Further care for Kamchatka honeysuckle is simple. Here are its main stages:

Watering. Must be regular, especially during the period of filling and ripening of berries. At least 10 liters of water must be poured under each bush, and if the weather is hot, then the watering rates must be doubled. However, the plant should not be flooded.Honeysuckle does not tolerate stagnation of water in the roots, so it is necessary to navigate the weather and timely compensate the bushes for the lack of atmospheric moisture.
Watering honeysuckle should be regular but moderate.
Top dressing. Until 3 years of age, it is not necessary to apply fertilizers - the bush is quite sufficient with the nutrients that were added during planting. To prevent the soil from becoming depleted, starting from 3-4 years, honeysuckle should be fed in the summer with organic fertilizers: compost, humus, rotted manure. If the bush produces weak growth, then in the spring it must be fed with nitrogen fertilizers.
Trimming. Every year in spring and autumn, the bush is inspected and dry and broken shoots are removed. In addition, you should periodically cut out old branches that no longer bear fruit. Maximum fruiting in Kamchatka honeysuckle occurs at the age of 7 years, so you should strive for the majority of shoots to be around this age. A bush with 15 to 20 skeletal branches of different ages is considered optimal.
In autumn, honeysuckle bushes need to be cleared of dry and broken branches.
Preparing for winter. Most varieties of Kamchatka honeysuckle have excellent frost resistance and can tolerate temperatures down to -40 °C. No special measures are required to prepare for winter. Particularly careful gardeners cover the root zone of the shrub with a layer of humus, additionally protecting the roots from possible freezing.

Reproduction

Kamchatka honeysuckle can be propagated by seed or vegetative methods. In the first case, the parental characteristics are not preserved, so it is not a fact that the same fruitful and sweet variety will grow from the seedling.For practical gardening, methods of vegetative propagation such as cuttings or dividing a bush are more applicable.

Green cuttings of Kamchatka honeysuckle take root well

Cuttings are a simple and affordable way to propagate the desired honeysuckle variety. You can root cuttings several times during the season:

Late March or early April. Cuttings 15-17 cm long are cut from branches at least 7-8 mm thick. The lower cut is treated with a root formation stimulator and planted obliquely in the ground to a depth of about 10 cm so that 2 or more buds remain on top.
After flowering. At this time, annual shoots with fresh growth can be used as cuttings. Cut branches are planted to a depth of 5-7 cm.
End of June. At this time, green cuttings are used - the current year's growth. They are cut off with the apical bud and planted to a depth of about 10 cm. It is very important that the soil at the planting site is constantly moist.

Another way of vegetative propagation of honeysuckle is by dividing the bush. This operation can only be performed on honeysuckle over 8 years old. A bush dug out of the ground is cut into several parts so that each section contains at least 3 shoots and a part of the rhizome at least 0.4 m long.

Dividing a bush is a quick and effective way to propagate your favorite honeysuckle variety.

The seedlings obtained in this way should be immediately planted in a new location.

Diseases and pests

Kamchatka honeysuckle gets sick quite rarely. Her diseases are associated mainly with the wrong choice of planting site, as well as with bad weather conditions and poor care. Below are the main diseases that can be found on this shrub.

Powdery mildew. One of the most common fungal diseases that affects plants in damp and cool climates. The disease can be detected by a whitish coating on the leaves, which quickly turn black and rot.

Affected parts of the plant must be cut off and burned. For prevention, shrubs are sprayed with fungicides, for example, Bordeaux mixture.

Ramulariasis. This is a fungal disease that affects the leaves and shoots of plants, including honeysuckle. It can be recognized by rounded light brown spots with a dark rim on the leaf blade. In addition to damaging the crown, the fungus significantly reduces the frost resistance of the shrub.

As with other fungal diseases, the treatment method is to prune and burn infected shoots, as well as fallen leaves. For prevention, plants are sprayed with fungicides.

In addition to diseases, Kamchatka honeysuckle can also suffer from various pests. Among them are the following insects presented below.

Aphid. A common garden pest that parasitizes many plants, including honeysuckle. It is a small unshelled sucking insect that feeds on the juice of various crops. The aphid is extremely prolific, as a result of which its population grows very quickly.

Aphids are dangerous due to their abundance

To combat aphids, you can use a variety of drugs, including folk remedies, such as infusion of tansy, garlic, celandine or tobacco.

Spider mite. This is a microscopic sucking insect often found on honeysuckle. Its presence can be determined by the twisted leaves and the web entwining them.

Cobwebs on leaves are a sign of mites

To combat ticks, special means are used - acaricides, such as Fufanon, Actellik and others.

In addition to these pests, you can sometimes find various beetles, leaf rollers, moths and other insects on honeysuckle, the larvae of which feed on the green mass of the plant. To combat them, various insecticides are used: Iskra, Inta-Vir, Karbofos, etc. The range of drugs used is very wide.

Conclusion

Kamchatka honeysuckle is not only a fruit shrub that produces tasty and very healthy berries, but also a good ornamental plant. In addition, this species is an excellent honey plant. All these qualities in combination give us the right to say that planting Kamchatka honeysuckle on a personal plot is the right decision.

Reviews of Kamchatka honeysuckle

Oleg Sergeevich Ereshchenko, 57 years old, Vladivostok

Kamchatka honeysuckle is not only tasty, but also very healthy. I've been growing it for many years. It is unpretentious, does not freeze in winter, bears fruit every year. Excellent berry bush!

Anatoly Petrovich Efremov, 71 years old, Barnaul

Honeysuckle is truly life and youth. For as long as I can remember, these bushes have always grown here, and we picked these blue berries when we were boys. Now my son grows it in the garden and sometimes brings it to me.

Viktor Andreevich Sakharov, 45 years old, Orel

Several years ago I planted several bushes of Kamchatka honeysuckle and was not disappointed. They bear fruit regularly and the harvest is good. And they require almost no maintenance. I just cut out old branches and sometimes add fertilizer.

Kamchatka honeysuckle: description, varieties, planting and care