Bird cherry is a spring beauty exuding a heady aroma, without which a garden made in the traditional Russian style simply does not seem. A representative of the genus Plum is represented by several species, among which a resident of North America, Virginia bird cherry, began to gain wide popularity.

Description of where it grows

The tree comes from the forests of North America, where it can reach 15 m in height, in garden conditions of the middle strip develops in the form of a bush, not exceeding 7 m.

  • The crown consists of spreading branches covered with dark brown bark with small cracks.
  • Oval leaf plates can reach a length of 10 cm.
  • During the flowering period, which is observed in late spring - early summer, small fragrant white flowers bloom, collected in small racemose blossoms.
  • By the end of summer, edible fruits that are colored in red ripen.

Due to the chemical composition, the cherry drupes have healing properties. Originally from Virginia, the decorative culture in Russian gardens is found not only in the south, but also in the northern regions.

Types and varieties of plants

Typical varieties of Virgin bird cherry are not of particular interest, but its forms - red-leaved and pink-flowered - are appreciated by many gardeners for their high decorativeness.

  • Canada Red is a frost-resistant variety with a conical crown and leaves that change color from green to red. It blooms with white flowers collected in inflorescences in the form of a brush. Berries when ripe become almost black and remain on the branches until almost spring.
  • Bird cherry Virgin Schubert - a tree with a spreading crown. Young green leaf blades as they grow older change their color to purple with a violet hue. At the end of spring, the flowering phase begins, in which white, almost odorless inflorescences, consisting of small flowers, bloom.

Optimal conditions for growing

In order for the tree to decorate the garden with its sophistication for many years, it is necessary to provide the bird cherry tree with optimal conditions for comfortable growth.

  1. A place. It is possible to plant the Virginus cherry in partial shade and even in the shady areas of the garden. However, the highest decorative qualities have specimens growing in sunny areas. Also, when choosing a place, it should be borne in mind that red-leafed bird cherry gives abundant growth.
  2. The soil. Despite the undemanding culture to soil composition, the best option would be fertile loam with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction and a loose structure.

Important! Virgin bird cherry is a fairly hardy plant, which has such important characteristics for temperate latitudes as heat and winter hardiness.

Features planting virginian bird cherry in the garden

Planting bird cherry can be carried out both in the spring and in the fall.

Wherein:

  • At a selected and previously moistened area, a landing pit is excavated 40 cm deep and 60 cm in diameter.
  • In a group landing, the distance between the pits is maintained at intervals of 1.5 - 2 m.
  • If the soil is heavy and poorly drained, then a layer of peat and sand is placed at the bottom.
  • To improve the fertile layer, 300 g of superphosphate is poured into each well, which is covered with a layer of extracted soil, designed to prevent burns to the root system.
  • Next, a sapling with spreading roots is lowered and sprinkled with earth.
  • The trunk circle is compacted and moistened, so that no air gaps remain around the root of the seedling.
  • The seedling is cut to a half-meter height, which allows you to lay the first tier of skeletal branches at this damage

Attention! When planting, the introduction of organics in high concentrations can lead to darkening and further drying of the seedling trunk.

Outdoor Care

Caring for an unpretentious culture, the landing of which was carried out with the implementation of all recommendations, will not be difficult:

  1. Watering. Drought-tolerant plant does not need additional moisture, with the exception of long periods of soil and air drought, when bird cherry should be watered once.
  2. Tillage. Loosening with the simultaneous removal of weed vegetation will be required in the first years of the development of bird cherry. In adulthood, she, with the help of a branched root system, herself will provide the necessary friability of soil and suppress the growth of weeds. In the future, the gardener will need to annually clean the trunk circle from the root growth of bird cherry, which it gives in a fairly large amount.
  3. Pruning. To form a lush and beautiful crown, pruning, which provides the laying of the first skeletal branches, is carried out during planting, if the seedling has reached a height of 70-60 cm. The crown is formed within several years by annually shortening the main trunk by 50 cm. Also every spring in sanitary In order to develop the shoots inside, they are shortened and dried, diseased ones are removed.

Diseases, pests and methods of dealing with them

The main disease that affects the culture is leaf spotting. At the first sign, the affected shoots are removed, and the plant is treated with a fungicide.

Among the pests, aphids, silkworms, moths and weevils stand out. As a protective measure, a damaged specimen should be sprayed with an insecticide solution according to the manufacturer's instructions. In case of strong occupation, the treatment should be repeated after maintaining a two-week groove.

Tree propagation methods

Reliable, effective and easy to carry out are vegetative methods of propagation - cuttings and breeding by root layers.

Cuttings

The procedure is carried out at the beginning of summer, when green cuttings 10-15 cm long are cut.

  1. Pre-treated with charcoal planting material is buried in the shaded area 1 - 2 cm in a light, loose soil.
  2. When rooting occurs, which usually takes 2 months, new specimens of bird cherry are planted at a permanent place of growth.

Root shoots (layering)

This is the easiest way to reproduce, in which:

  1. The most developed layering with a branched root system is selected.
  2. The shoots are separated from the maternal specimen using a sharp shovel.
  3. The cut site is treated with an antiseptic to prevent infection.
  4. The layering is planted for growing in a shaded place.
  5. After 2 months, when the specimen grows root mass, it is transplanted to a permanent habitat.

The use of wood in landscape design

The decorative variety of bird cherry has recently become increasingly used in the design of home gardens and garden areas.

With her help:

  • alleys and flower-shrub compositions are created;
  • original hedges are made out;
  • Gardens created in the “Russian” style are decorated;
  • water bodies are framed;
  • The beauty of the lush greenery of the lawn is emphasized.

Virgin cherry with openwork crown and graceful silhouette is an undemanding and at the same time exquisite decoration of the Russian garden, which, of course, is worthy of your attention.

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