pink honeysuckle

Survives zone 4 through 8

Harvest calendar

Best planted in early spring after your last frost, or in fall before the ground freezes, depending on your climate.

A high-altitude Central Asian and Himalayan honeysuckle, not a haskap. It carries ovoid yellowish-to-red berries, but its edibility is not well documented in the sources consulted — treat it as unverified rather than assume the blue-honeysuckle character of its cultivated relatives.

Hardiness

Zone 4–8

Habit

Shrub

Edible part

Fruit

Ripens

Late May–June (earliest crop of the year)

Mature size

Compact shrub 1–2 m; excellent in containers

Light

Full sun to partial

Soil pH

5.0–7.0

Environment

Montane

Native range

Central Asia and the Himalaya, at high altitude — roughly 2,900–4,500 m — on open rocky slopes and scrub.

Status

Wild

Years to fruit

3 yrs

Growth speed

20–40 cm/year — medium.

Spacing

200 cm (79 in) apart — about 4 m² (43 sq ft) per plant

Leaf shape

Opposite, elliptic-oblong to ovate, 3–4 cm long by 0.5–1 cm, with a rounded base and bristly-hairy margin, on young branches that are conspicuously bristly (hispid).

Root system

Shallow and fibrous, spreading laterally near the surface; benefits from mulch and resents drought.

Fruit description

Ovoid berries ripening yellowish then red, carried in pairs. ⚠ Edibility is not documented in the sources consulted — see the note above.

Propagation

Softwood cuttings in early summer or hardwood cuttings in autumn both root readily. Seed needs about 2–3 months cold stratification and gives variable plants.

Pollination

Insect-pollinated. It is not a haskap and does not carry the haskap pollination requirement; self-fertility is not documented for this species in the sources consulted.

The edible parts listed above are a starting point, not a field guide. Identify a plant with certainty — ideally against a local authority — before eating any part of it, and read the full disclaimer. Spotted something wrong? Report it.