Lonicera caerulea

Plants provide so many activities for families to enjoy, from climbing trees to cutting flowers for an arrangement, but edibles really get people excited to be out in the garden. What’s more fun to a young gardener (and us old ones, too) than watching for the right time to pick fruit and being able to eat what you grow?

With some delightful POP, Lonicera caerulea (blue honeysuckle or honeyberry) could be your next high-dollar crop. Nature’s candy, anyone? I’ve heard the fruit flavor is sweet and has a “zing” to it.

The combination of the recognizable honeysuckle flowers and beautiful deep-blue fruit, along with its cold hardiness (Zone 2 for crying out loud), gives this shrub a lot of value.

There are several cultivars available in the trade, and this isn’t a widely used or known plant, which provides growers and retailers the chance to offer something uncommon to consumers.

Why grow Lonicera caerulea?

• Tasty, healthy fruit
• Extremely cold-hardy
• Unusual edible that could command a high retail price

Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden, University of Illinois Extension, Proven Winners