Honeyberry - male/female in one pot?

[JimmerG]

Morning everyone -

Here's a quick question for you.... I've bought a Honeyberry (fruiting Honeysuckle)

Its a bushy kind of plant growing to about 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide. At the moment there are two plants, a male and a female (for pollination purposes) in a 3 litre pot. The stems are only about 6mm thick at the base and have been trimmed to about two feet tall, where the stems are a spindly 2-3mm.

So do I separate the plants and plant them next to each other - or should I just dig a hole and stick the whole root ball in? This is what the instructions suggest, but I'm pretty sure they're simply generic planting instructions, and haven't taken into account the fact that there are two plants in one pot.

What do we think?

James

[yummersetter]

I don't think they're male or female but self-sufficient blue honeysuckle . If its not going to cause too much damage to separate them, I would - mine have grown to 60cm in a year and a half.

[VirginVegGrower]

You are supposed to have two varieties, like blueberries, apparently. I have one plant, as they are so damned expensive for a soft fruit bush. Yes, I've never had fruit on it yet.

[DuncanM]

How long have you had it for VVG? I'd be interested in getting a bush - but I'd want to taste the fruit first to know if it was worth growing!

[VirginVegGrower]

Two years and no fruit. It's still a tiddler!

[veggiechicken]

I have a tiddler too- bought it last year in either Aldi or Lidl. I think it may be a long wait for fruit!

[realfood]

According to to a Google search, they are self-fertile. "Honeyberries are self fertile but planting them in close proximity to one another will improve pollination and increase your crop of tasty fruits."

[yummersetter]

I had fruit on my three bushes this summer, unexpectedly early, about June. I spotted them one morning and intended to pick them the following day but they had all disappeared by then - I think they need netting from the birds.

[DuncanM]

How old are your plants?

[yummersetter]

I planted them a couple of years ago - they were about twelve inches high and bushy then - from ART. The berries grow under the branches, so it's easy to miss them.

[Pineberry]

I have 3 bushes ( 2caurelia and 1 kamachotika - please forgive the spelling not sure of the correct one) 3 years now, they are about 2 fee high and 2 feet wide each. Had just about 2 berries this this year, not sure when they ripen but when tasted one it was nothing special at all. If knew beforehand would never buy them. I will just hope they will get more productive with time.

[muriel129]

did you get your honeyberries? i have 2 bushes of different varieties and have lots of fruit on. the berries are now about 1cm long but blue/purple. i tried one and immediately spit it out. It was vile very bitter. Do you know whether they will sweeten up if I leave them on the bush. I think the fruits are supposed to grow to about 2-3 cms.

[VirginVegGrower]

I was just about to ask the same thing. Beautiful shrub but tiny, vile and tart describes the berries

[muriel129]

honeyberries

The berries are still on my honeyberry bushes but the taste has not improved. I think I will replace them with a blackcurrant. The birds ate all my red currants but have not touched the homeyberries. Perhaps they know something I don't!

[Pineberry]

How on earth someone called them honeyberry, I wonder?

I got several varieties, and the ones bough from t&m tasted vile, very bitter.
I will give them one more year and if no improvement will replace them. However, the others I have tasted are a lot more palatable, but still nothing even close to their honeyberry name.
Mark Diacon praises them, we certainly have different taste buds.