HONEYBERRY

Lonicera caerulea is a cold-hardy, deciduous shrub native to boreal and temperate regions across Asia, Europe, and North America, where it grows along forest edges and streambanks. It produces small, tubular cream-yellow flowers in early spring, followed by elongated blue-black berries with a flavor that hovers between blueberry and black currant — tart-sweet and deeply pigmented with anthocyanins. Exceptionally tolerant of late frosts, it is one of the earliest fruiting shrubs in the northern garden. Birds find the berries as appealing as gardeners do, so netting is worth considering when the harvest approaches.