Sorts of virginian cherry: description and planting

Red bird cherry is called virgin because of its origin, because it comes from the northern states of America. Recently, this culture has spread widely in Russian gardening.

Red bird cherry is not inferior to the usual beauty, and the taste of the fruit exceeds it. Gardeners consider a guest from America a real find. The trees do not require enhanced care, tolerate harsh conditions well, give a bountiful harvest for a long time, and the beneficial properties of the berries allow them to be used in cooking and for medicinal purposes. In addition, virgin cherry is one of the most beautiful ornamental plants that can decorate any place. The best reviews are Shubert and Canada Red.

At home in North America, an adult plant of red bird cherry grows to a height of 12-15 meters. In Russian gardens, it can reach a height of 5-7 meters. Although it looks like a tree because of its growth, the plant is a branchy shrub.

Description of the plant:

• dark green above and lighter below dense, smooth leaves;
• dark brown shoots;
• kidney yellow-brown or dark brown;
• white flowers, odorless, collected in long brushes;
• dark red berries.

The fruit of this species is much more than the usual bird cherry.

Fruits are round-shaped, acidic, with definitely astringent signs. But they are not so tart as the fruits of the usual bird cherry. When fully matured, they become almost black. By the dark red color of the berries, the virgin cherry is also called “red fruit”. The chemical composition of the fruit is such that they have healing properties.

A red bird cherry blossoms at the end of spring, after a short time after the appearance of the leaves. In some areas, it is covered with flowers in early summer. The leaves are long, up to 10 cm, jagged along the edge, color - from bright to light green. In late autumn - a reddish tint. This gives the tree even more decorative.

In the 70s of the last century, plant breeders from Siberia M.N. Salamatov and V.S. Simagin bred new varieties in the Siberian Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy by crossing common bird cherry with its virgin bird cherry. Thus, the new varieties “Dawn”, “Narym”, “Taiga”, “Samoplodnaya”, “Black Splendor”, “Sakhalin Black” appeared. There are a few more hybrids of value in culture that have not yet been given names.

Among them are the red-leaved and pink-flowered subspecies later bred by selection. All trials were carried out. Now the world's first varieties have been successfully distributed. They all differ from each other.

There are varieties that can self-pollinate - self-bearing. Those who are incapable of this are called self-fruitless.

• "Narym" and "Taiga" - not very tall bushes about 4 m tall. They are distinguished by dense foliage, lush and beautiful flowering. They should be planted in groups, because individually these varieties are not pollinated. This is the so-called samobzlodnye varieties. The fruits are not very large, red with yellow flesh, have a sweet-sour taste. Each plant yields up to 5 kg.
• Another one of the popular varieties - "Dawn". It is slightly lower than “Narym” and “Taiga” - about 3 m, but it gives an early harvest. The fruits are not very large in size, but the yield is constant and quite large - from each bush it is really possible to get about 10 kg of berries of a characteristic dark red color and a sweet-sour taste with a slight tartness.

• The varieties with early maturity include “Sakhalin black” wrist cherry. This tree reaches a height of up to 7 m. It has a dense crown in the form of a pyramid with large leaves. Blooms buds. Unlike "Dawn" fruits moderately. Fruits weighing up to 0.7 g with green flesh, but the taste is much sweeter. Berry tartness is not as pronounced as in other varieties.Each tree can produce up to 15 kg of crop.
• Hybrid "Samoplodnaya" also has an early term of ripening. In the culture is represented by powerful, strong trees with growth from 6 to 7 m. Large leaves with notched edges are decorated in a pyramidal crown. The inflorescences are large, from 35 brushes, giving rather large fruits of black color. The taste, like other varieties, is sweet and sour, but the astringency is small. Annually gives a harvest of berries up to 20 kg from a tree.

• Unlike the named species, hybrid variety "Black shine" has a medium term ripening. It is of medium height - 5-6 m. The crown with dense leaves is formed in the form of a wide pyramid. Refers to samobesplodnymi, that is, you need to plant it next to other trees. Fruits are large, weighing up to 0.9 g. Painted in almost black color with yellow-green flesh, have a pleasant taste. The size of the harvest depends on the care - from 10 to 20 kg of fruit from the tree.
• Bird cherry virginskaya always attracted the attention of gardeners beauty and decorative, but especially spectacular is considered its a kind of "Schubert". This species grows in the form of small trees or bushes. In the spring it is a green plant with white buds in the shape of brushes. In the summer, amazing leaves give it an amazing beauty that changes its color to dark purple or red-purple.

• Sort Atropurpurea can be represented by a tree up to 15 m or a powerful shrub. Different from other varieties of black bark, purple leaves. Fruits have a greater viscosity than other varieties, but are edible.
• Variety "Late Joy" also a little like their fellows. This tree is up to 8 m tall with a crown in the form of a narrow pyramid. Fruits of characteristic taste, but black-brown in color with red flesh, rather tart to taste.

A virgin or red bird cherry is represented in our gardening by various varieties, including short and willow trees. As well as various forms - weeping, with improperly developed foliage.

You need to choose depending on the purpose of the plants and the place of planting. Landscape designers recommend using red bird cherry, not only to decorate the site, but also as hedges. Then the plants need to be planted in groups.

A virgin bird cherry is also intended to strengthen the soil in the garden and to improve the soil. In this case, it is also desirable to plant more than one plant. Its property to drain the soil is also important: in case of close detection of underwater waters, it draws out excess moisture with its powerful roots. If the plot suffers from an abundance of groundwater, this plant will fit perfectly.

If the owner of the site wants to quickly get a harvest, he should plant the plants from the shoots. Then krasnoplodnaya bird cherry begins to bloom in the fourth year after planting. Plants grown from seed bloom in the sixth year. In the first years after disembarkation, they grow rather slowly. In two years they usually grow by half a meter.

With a small space it is better to choose narrow-pyramidal varieties. If the plant is intended solely for harvesting, Black Shine, Samoplodnaya, and Sakhalin will do. Lovers of sweet berries more like "Black shine". For decorative purposes, a good "Schubert".

They have already learned how to grow a red bird cherry everywhere, due to its low requirements for soil types. It proved its ability to grow on soils with a variety of qualities and fertility: neutral, medium acid, black soil, etc. In addition, it is resistant to flooding and drought.

When planting should take into account the illumination of the place.Although the red bird cherry is well tolerated by the shadow, it grows better and develops faster in sunny places. Resistant to heat and cold.

Bird cherry can be grown in the following ways:

• from root offspring;
• cuttings;
• self seeding;
• separation otvodok.

The first method is easy enough: to separate the existing growth from the main plant and plant it in the spring.

The second method is also simple and effective: cut cuttings up to 15 cm long, soak in water for one day and plant in a special soil the next day, arranging a kind of greenhouse on top of the film. In the open ground is transferred after the plant takes root.

The third method requires work and care, and most importantly - patience. Of the seeds sown, the germ will not appear very quickly, and it will produce fruits in 7 years. You can sow bones immediately in the ground in October or prepare them for planting, keeping them in the fridge if they are sown in spring.

The latter method is the most difficult. The work should be carried out carefully: in the spring you should dig shallow pits (10 cm) around an adult tree, and lay layers in them. Attach the layering to the hammered pegs.

Care to provide constant hilling and feeding. By autumn, cuttings with proper care will take root well and they can be transplanted to prepared places. You can and plant a branch of varietal bird cherry on a wild plant.

Planted taken in the spring - in April, and autumn - in October. Soil should be loosened and moistened before planting. It is advisable to make the landing holes 40 cm deep and 60 cm in diameter.

The distance between seedlings should be approximately 4 to 6 meters. They are placed around the site or near the house. Immediately after planting, be sure to water well.

Seedlings need to loosen, weed grass around them, feed them with organic and mineral fertilizers. Care involves watering depending on the need, as well as the formation of crown pruning. Pruning is also needed to regulate plant growth. To facilitate the care and harvesting of a sufficiently optimal height of 3 m. The longer the crown is formed, the more energy will be spent on the fruit, and not on the leaves.

Red bird cherry almost never gets sick. Another advantage of virgin cherry is good resistance to most pests, except aphids. She almost every year needs the help of a gardener in the fight against her. From early spring, trees and shrubs need treatment with folk remedies - infusions and decoctions of tobacco, tobacco, tomato leaves, black nightshade, ash, laundry soap. Or the use of modern tools to combat garden pests - "Inta-vir."

It is helpful for gardeners to know the following:

• The fruits of virginian cherry are valued in cooking. They are used for making juices and refreshments, berry meal, fresh consumption. Apply them as a filling pies. Serve fruits to add to jam and compotes.
• Due to the high content of vitamin C, the fruits are present in the recipes of traditional medicine to strengthen the immune system, improve the digestive tract, even rejuvenate the body.
• Patients with gastritis with acidity of the stomach should limit the use of fresh red cherry berries!
• The presence of vitamin P makes the fruit useful for strengthening the capillaries and improving the functioning of the heart.
• Having a diuretic effect, the berries facilitate the work of the urinary organs.
• Alternative medicine notes and leaves and branches of the plant. They have a disinfecting, antimicrobial effect. Infusion of them can be used for spraying in the room instead of "Dichlorvos" for the destruction of flies.

Review of bird cherry virginskogo varieties "Schubert", see the following video.