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The princess varieties bred in recent years have made this berry popular with gardeners. The breeders managed to tame the wild plant and improve its characteristics. Today it is also possible to grow it on an industrial scale. The article contains descriptions of the princess varieties with photos and reviews about her.
Types and varieties of the princess
Knyazhenika is a perennial shrub of the Pink family with an average height of about 20 cm. It is also known by many names, including meadow, drupe, midday or arctic raspberry. In the wild, it is found in the Urals, the Far East in Siberia, covers the northern and middle climatic zones. Taste is considered the best of all berries.
The leaves are trifoliate, covered with wrinkles, have petioles and two stipules. In the middle of summer, pink flowers appear on the bushes. Fruits can be harvested at the end of August and in September, they are drupes, which outwardly resemble raspberries. Weight within 1-2 g. Color varies from cherry to purple. The taste is sweet and sour, there is a pineapple aroma. The aboveground part of the bush dies off annually.
The wild princess (Rúbus árcticus) is found in forests and meadows, along river banks, in swamps in the northern regions. The bush reaches a height of 20-25 cm. The yield is extremely low. The flowers are purple-purple in color.
The cultural prince, which is grown by gardeners in their plots, also bears little fruit, even with abundant flowering. This prevented its wide distribution. Quite a lot of experiments were carried out to increase its yield.
A little more berries are brought by Swedish and Finnish hybrids of the princess. The breeders managed to preserve the taste of the berry, but at the same time to increase the fruiting. From the moment of their breeding, the princess began to be successfully cultivated in summer cottages and gained popularity among gardeners.
The best varieties of the princess with a description and photo
To date, a fairly large number of princess varieties have been bred. This allows it to be grown in various climatic conditions. Below are descriptions of popular princess varieties.
Astra
The bushes of the princess of the Astra variety reach 25 cm in height. Fruits are red, weighing about 2 g. Ripens in July. This is a hybrid of princes and bones. When planting a bush in the spring in summer, it is already gaining strength, the rhizome is lignified and located at a depth of 15 cm. The stem is erect, triangular, has scales at the base. The leaves are trifoliate, wrinkled, rather thin, reminiscent of raspberries.
Abundant flowering begins in late May. There are usually five petals, they are colored reddish-pink. Flowers are bisexual, apical, single, collected in clusters of three. Fruits are dark cherry or red in color, similar to blackberries, have a strong aroma.
The prince of the Astra variety in the photo:
Aura
The bush of this hybrid of bone and princess is considered large, its height is about 1 m. The plant is unpretentious, easily takes root after transplantation. Fruits are bright red, their weight is about 2 g. Ripens late in September, but the berries continue to appear until October. The yield is high, like that of the stone fruit, but at the same time the taste is like that of a princess. Bush care is quite simple. Frost resistance is lower than that of wild berries.
Anna
It is a hybrid of prince and bone, compact bushes up to 15 cm in size. The leaves are trifoliate, with a wrinkled surface, and have two stipules. At the end of June, the princess of the Anna variety blooms. Fruits are red, ripen in September, weigh within 1-2 g. Flowers are bisexual, 2 cm in size, pink in color. The berry is very aromatic and similar to raspberries, it consists of 30-50 small fruits. The taste is sweet with sourness.
In the photo, the prince's berry of the Anna variety, the description of which is given above:
Sofia
The princess of the Sofia variety has small bushes 10-15 cm tall. It resembles wild strawberries in size. Grows well in full sun. Flowering begins at the end of June and lasts for 20 days. The buds are bright pink, an average of 1.5 cm in diameter. The berries ripen by the end of August. The fruits of princess Sofia are round, red in color, sweet and sour taste. They are consumed both fresh and processed. The leaves can be dried and then brewed into tea.
Beata
Hybrid of princes and bones of early maturity. The bush reaches 30 cm in height. The Beata variety is large-fruited, the average weight of the berries is 1.5 g. It blooms from the end of May, buds appear on the plant, colored purple. Princess Beata is unpretentious in her care. The main condition is the choice of location - on the sunny side and with protection from the winds. The berries ripen in July, they taste sweet and are suitable for any kind of processing.
Mespi
The plant has an erect stem 20 cm in height. The Mespi varieties are distinguished by their early ripening period and large fruits. The berries are sweet and have a pineapple aroma. Their color varies depending on their location on the bush - in the open sun they are bright crimson, under the foliage they are light yellow with a reddish side. Grows well in moist soils, in sunny places. In the wild, these are forest edges, thickets of low bushes, swamps, damp forests.
Linda
A large-fruited hybrid of a princess and a drupe of an early ripening period. Bush 15 cm, trifoliate leaves, long pubescent petioles. Flowers are apical, singly planted, bisexual with pink petals. The buds appear at the end of June, and the fruits at the end of July. Berries of a pronounced sweet taste with hints of pineapple, their color can be from red to purple, there is a bluish bloom. Fruit weight on average 1.2 g.
Susanna
A high-yielding variety of the princess of the Finnish selection. The average ripening period is July-August. The fruits are large, sweet taste. The plant is quite unpretentious and adapted to growing in various climatic conditions.
ELPEE
One of the new fruitful varieties of Finnish selection. It is resistant to pyrenosporosis and does not require much maintenance. The average height of the bush is 35 cm, the rhizome is long, thin and creeping. Flowering occurs in June. The palatability of the fruit is high. The berries themselves are large, ripen in August, colored purple with a bluish bloom.
Prefers slightly shaded areas protected from open winds.
Nectar
By crossing raspberries and princesses, Finnish breeders received the nectar raspberry "Hayes". The bush is large, grows up to 1.5 m in height. Caring for the plant is the same as for regular raspberries, including cutting the shoots in the spring. It is best to locate the Nectarna variety in open, sunny places.
The fruits do not ripen at the same time, but with an interval of two weeks. The berries look like raspberries, but taste like a prince with a characteristic pineapple aroma. All the useful properties of the northern berry nectar raspberry retained in itself.
Pima
The variety has long been known and managed to recommend itself well among gardeners. The large-fruited princess of the Pima variety is of an early ripening period, the berries appear already in July. The bush grows up to 25 cm. The leaves are trifoliate, ovoid, with two stipules.
When flowering, it is quite decorative, the petals can be painted white, pink or crimson, depending on the shape and place of growth. This allows the princess to plant on flower beds and borders, to decorate her plot with her. The fruits are red, the intensity of their color depends on the degree of illumination. The taste of the berries is sweet, the characteristic aroma is present.
Varieties of the princess for the regions
The princess is a northern berry, but breeders have successfully adapted it for warmer climates. A large number of varieties allow you to choose the right one. The difference in taste between them is small, they are all very high.
For the Moscow region and central Russia
In the climate of the Moscow region and the middle zone, the varieties of the princess Beata, Anna, Sofia, Linda will grow well. These hybrids have high yields, while they are unpretentious in care. The soil must be acidic, well-drained.
For Siberia and the Urals
The varietal princess differs from the wild in abundant fruiting, but at the same time its frost resistance suffers. For the northern regions, hybrids that are resistant to cold are chosen. Good yield indicators for Astra and Aura varieties. Nectar raspberries can also be grown in northern climates.
How to choose the right variety
In order for the princess to grow well and bear fruit abundantly, there are several tips:
- there must be at least 2 varieties on the site for cross-pollination by insects;
- to attract bumblebees and bees, it is recommended to plant the bushes so that they form a continuous flowering carpet;
- experienced gardeners recommend fencing off each variety so as not to confuse them later;Advice! The ripeness of the berries is indicated by a rich color and a bluish bloom.
- varieties Astra, Aura, Elpee, Susanna, Mespi, Pima, Linda, Beata, Anna, Sofia are resistant to heat up to + 40 ° C, so they are suitable for cultivation in the southern regions;
- for an industrial scale, high-yielding varieties are suitable - Linda, Beata, Elpee, Susanna, Pima.
Conclusion
Varieties of the princess, with all their diversity, retain its main quality - the unique taste and benefits of berries. With proper care, you can get quite a large harvest. The wild berry bears extremely few fruits with abundant flowering, but in the garden princess, this indicator is increased.
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