Zilā sausserde Lonicera caerulea "Sinoglaska", 10 l pods

• Type: fruit bush (blue honeysuckle)
• Botanical name: Lonicera caerulea "Sinoglaska"
• Height and spread: 1–2 m, rounded bush
• Fruit: large, elongated-cylindrical, dark blue with bloom, very tasty
• Ripening: June (late May in warmer regions)
• Light: sun to partial shade
• Soil: fertile, moist, well-drained, slightly acid to neutral
• Hardiness: very good, zone 4; also drought tolerant
• Pollination: needs another honeyberry variety nearby
• Use: fresh eating, jam, juice, freezing
• Size: 10 L pot

Planting. Plant in spring or early autumn in sun or partial shade. Honeyberries are self-sterile – plant at least one other variety (for example "Zojka" or "Wojtek") 1.5–2 m away. Add compost to the hole and plant at the same depth as in the pot.

Watering and feeding. In the first year water regularly in dry spells and keep the soil moist under a mulch. Feed in spring with compost or berry fertiliser; no nitrogen in the second half of summer.

Care. For the first 3–4 years hardly any pruning is needed – only remove broken shoots and those lying on the ground. Later thin the bush after harvest by cutting the oldest stems (over 6–7 years) and crowding stems to the base. Fruit forms on last year's growth, so do not shorten young shoots.

Gardener's tip. The berries ripen unevenly – pick in several rounds once they are blue right through. Net the bush while the fruit ripens, because birds love early berries.