Honeywood Saskatoon

Description

Honeywood Saskatoon

Latin: Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Honeywood’
Height: Up to 16 ft
Spread: Up to 13 feet; plant 5-foot spacing for Shelterbelt purposes
Sun exposure: Full sun- partial shade
Hardiness zone: 2+
Root system: Fibrous, low – no suckering
Growth rate: Moderate
Lifespan: 30 + years
Plug material

Honeywood Saskatoon is an older Canadian cultivar with some characteristics that make it quite different from Northline, Smoky, and Lee #8. A. J. Porter selected it from Parkside, Saskatchewan, from seedlings originating in a highly productive area, and named and introduced it as Honeywood in 1973.

One of Honeywood’s best traits: late flowering and fewer seeds per berry than other varieties. Late spring blooming can help it avoid some late-spring frost damage. That’s particularly valuable across the Prairies, where a warm spell followed by a hard frost can damage flowers and affect berry production.

Its main drawback is uneven ripening. That isn’t necessarily bad for a homeowner—you get an extended picking period, but it is less desirable for a commercial grower.

Honeywood has low suckering and a vase-shaped habit. It prefers fertile, well-drained soil. Because of its size, consider pruning to a more manageable height.

Honeywood is a very high-yielding, flavourful crop, with sizeable production at 2-4 years after establishment. Good fruit size at 16 mm diameter, deep blue when ripe.

Uses are mostly the same as other Saskatoon varieties: canning, juicing, raw eating, baking, syrups, wines, fruit leathers.

Seedling size is approximately 12” tall, 1 year old.