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Black elderberry is a separate type of shrub that belongs to the genus Elderberry of the Adoksovye family. The species has more than 4 dozen varieties. Black Elderberry Black Beauty is one of the most popular representatives of its species. The variety appeared in Europe in 2000, it was created by Dutch scientists, taking as a basis several little-known species. Over the next decade, the culture spread throughout the United States and Russia.
Description of Black Elderberry Black Beauty
Black Elderberry Black Beauty is used as an ornamental shrub. Its compact size and elegant appearance allow it to be included in a wide variety of landscape ensembles. On the basis of this variety, a breeding hybrid called Black Tower was created. The difference between shrubs is insignificant. The Black Tower variety has coral-colored buds. In addition, the leaves of the Black Tower variety turn dark red by autumn. Black Beauty flowers have a creamy pink hue.
The shrub can grow up to 4 m. During the year, the growth is about 50 cm. The peculiarity of the Black Beauty elder lies in the unusual color of the leaf plates. They turn purple during flowering, darken in autumn and look almost black.
The contrast to the leaves is made up of white-pink flowers. They are collected in large racemose inflorescences, reaching 10-15 cm in length. The scent of blooming elderberry Black Beauty has been compared to lemon verbena.
In the fall, fruits are formed in place of flowers. These are dark purple drupes with juicy pulp. The fruits are edible, suitable for the manufacture of medicines and cosmetics due to the contained useful substances.
Black Elderberry Black Beauty is recommended to be grown in areas of the Central climatic zone of Russia, in Moscow, the Moscow region, in the Caucasus, as well as in the southern territories of the country.
Characteristics of the variety
According to landscape designers, the Black Beauty elderberry crown can take many forms. The shrub is used to structure the composition of the garden, planted next to trees with bright green leaves to increase the contrast between them. Due to the ease of maintenance, black elderberry is recommended for growing in backyards and summer cottages.
Winter hardiness of black elderberry Black Beauty
The elderberry frost resistance index is above average. The shrub is able to tolerate subzero temperatures without loss. Upon reaching - 30 - 35 ° C, Black Beauty elderberry is covered with industrial material. To do this, use agrofibre or plastic wrap. Covering the soil around the bushes is a good protection from the cold.
Despite efforts, many young shoots can freeze. In the spring, after processing and removing additional material, most of them are able to recover.
Productivity and fruiting
The black elderberry is a rounded, deep purple fruit. The pulp of the fruit becomes juicy when ripe. In the center, from 2 to 4 seeds are formed.
Elderberry fruiting begins from the 3rd year of existence. The berries begin to ripen in September. The taste of the fruit is sweet and sour, astringent. Up to 2 - 3 kg of berries are harvested from one bush.
If, for some reason, the fruits remained on the bushes before frost, they do not crumble, do not dry out.After freezing, elder drupes become food for birds that remain for the winter.
Scope of the fruit
Black Beauty black elderberry fruits are used in different ways:
- for the preparation of wines and homemade alcoholic tinctures;
- as the main ingredient for jams and preserves;
- as a filling for pies and pastries;
- for the preparation of extracts in the pharmaceutical industry;
- as an ingredient in home cosmetology recipes;
- for the preparation of external use in folk medicine due to the properties that tannins have.
Berries contain essential oils, beneficial acids and organic compounds that have a beneficial effect on all systems of the human body when properly prepared.
The fruits are harvested fully ripe from the middle of September - by cutting off the whole brushes. Berries are stored for a short time - 8 - 10 days in the refrigerator, and therefore they are used for processing.
Disease and pest resistance
The variety is highly resistant to diseases and pests. Measures to combat the appearance of powdery mildew, gray rot or the reproduction of aphids are considered timely prevention. It includes:
- fungicide treatment before spring flowering;
- mulching the soil during the summer;
- timely loosening of the soil after rains and abundant irrigation.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Elderberry Black Beauty has obvious advantages, because of its unusual appearance it is easy to recognize it in the photo and cannot be confused with other varieties.
Pros of the elderberry variety Black Beauty:
- suitable for any landscape design: dilutes any deciduous ensembles, can be used to delimit areas;
- unpretentiousness: does not require special care;
- frost resistance: needs shelter only at temperatures below –35 ° C;
- stable fruiting: for several decades;
- resistance to infestations and pests;
- ability to tolerate drought and air pollution;
- use in pharmacology of both fruits and flowers and leaves.
The Black Beauty elderberry variety is characterized by its ability to adapt to a variety of soils. The only prerequisite for adaptation is to ensure moderate soil moisture. In addition, this variety can grow in a shaded area. For development, he needs to receive sunlight in the morning.
In the description of the Black Beauty elderberry variety, minuses are also indicated. One of the disadvantages gardeners consider annual pruning. The complexity of the procedure lies in the choice of two-year branches of the lower row. This is necessary for further growth and formation of the bush.
For novice gardeners, breeding a variety can be challenging. Cutting cuttings is carried out under strict observance of the temperature regime and the level of air humidity. Layers are kept in greenhouses before planting. They are planted in open ground in the 2nd year of existence, after full rooting and leaf formation.
Planting and caring for black elderberry Black Beauty
The elderberry variety is planted in spring or fall. Two-year layering is considered a good planting material. For planting, shaded places are chosen on the north side. Experienced gardeners advise planting shrubs so that they are not exposed to strong winds.
The Black Beauty elderberry variety can grow as a single-stemmed, medium-sized tree, but gardeners and designers prefer to form a shrub from several central shoots.
Seedlings for planting are chosen by their appearance. They should be intact, with light brown bark, and have several strong branches.
A place for an elderberry is prepared several weeks before disembarkation. The soil is dug up, fertilized with organic complexes.Then the ground is covered with plastic wrap for several days. This helps to normalize the acidity level of the soil: soil with a pH of 6 to 6.5 is suitable for elderberry.
The seedling is placed in a prepared hole, fertilized with potassium-phosphorus complexes, covered with soil, tamped, watered. When planning the cultivation of an elder in 1 trunk, after planting, a support is installed and a seedling is tied up.
Follow-up care
Further care of the shrub includes seasonal pruning. It is carried out twice:
- spring, crown-forming pruning according to a special scheme with pruning of the lower branches, removing the tops, cutting out damaged branches;
- autumn, sanitary pruning - in order to get rid of damage, dry wood and adjust the formation of the crown.
When the elderberry begins to bloom and form fruit, it needs abundant watering. The weekly volume of water is 2 - 3 buckets under the bush.
Top dressing is applied at the root, observing the step by step of the actions:
- Spring fertilization - nitrogen-containing complexes.
- Summer feeding - with potassium and phosphorus.
- Autumn fertilization - organic.
For moisture retention, protection against weeds and overgrowth use the agrotechnical method of mulching. The soil around the bush is covered with a layer of straw, chopped bark or sawdust.
Mulching left for the winter also helps protect the shrub from rodents, which are often attacked by fruit crops. Elderberry is no exception, so gardeners protect the bushes using available methods. List of defense techniques:
- whitewashing the main trunk with lime;
- installation of nets and fences;
- spraying poisonous mixtures.
For wintering in regions with low temperatures, the elderberry is covered in advance, before the onset of frost. The shrub is protected with an air-permeable material, bending the branches to the ground. A good option for shelter from frost is considered to be strapping with coniferous branches. This method is suitable for small, young bushes.
Conclusion
Black Elderberry Black Beauty has gained popularity among designers and gardeners due to its unusual appearance. Dark elderberry leaves and pink-creamy buds can beautify any area when blooming. For summer residents, the advantage of the variety is the ease of cultivation and the possibility of independent crown formation.
