We Love ‘Dolce Vita’ Honeysuckle

Don’t panic when you hear the word “honeysuckle,” because we are not talking about the wildly invasive shrub. We are talking about the mouth-watering, easy-to-grow haskap berry. The new variety ‘Dolce Vita’ is not too particular about soil and it produces wonderfully nutritious and delicious berries with a flavor that is the perfect mingling of raspberries and blueberries.

Common name: Sugar Mountain Blue Sweetberry Honeysuckle
Botanical name: Lonicera caerulea ‘Dolce Vita’
Height: 5-6 feet tall
Flowers: white in the spring
Fruit: oblong, blue-purple, edible
Space: 5-6 feet apart
Light: full sun to partial shade
USDA Zones: 3-6
Deciduous shrub

This easy-to-grow shrub will have you editing your blueberries to make room for haspaks in the garden. Give them full sun and average soil and haskaps, like ‘Dolce Vita’, are ready to go. They bloom on old wood so prune after harvesting the berries. However, you will want to give your new shrubs three years to establish before pruning. After your shrubs are established, cutting them back by 25 percent can rejuvenate them. The berries are attractive to birds but deer keep their distance.