Top best varieties of honeysuckle for the Urals: what are the features of choosing a variety and its cultivation in this region
Honeysuckle is appreciated for its original and tart sweet and sour taste, delicate pulp, simple requirements for growing. The berry is not as popular as cherries or currants, but every year more and more gardeners are planting it on their site. The plant is quite suitable for cultivation in the climatic conditions of the Urals and Siberia - you just need to carefully consider the choice of the variety, take into account the advice and recommendations of experienced gardeners.
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Requirements for choosing a variety of honeysuckle for the Urals
Honeysuckle ripens early - gardeners harvest in mid-June. In order for the berries to grow large and juicy, it is recommended to pay special attention to the choice of the variety. The Urals are characterized by short and humid summers, frosts, frequent fogs and winds.
The honeysuckle variety must be resistant to sudden changes in the weather, have a strong immunity to diseases and insect pests. Experienced gardeners choose moisture-resistant and frost-resistant varieties.
A selection of the best varieties for the Urals
The Ural honeysuckle is not inferior to southern berries in taste and marketability. Next, consider the best varieties for cultivationin the Ural region.
Viola
The bush is powerful, reaches a height of 2 m, the crown is dense and oval. Berries are oval-cylindrical, elongated, weighing up to 1 g. The peel is blue-violet, smooth, with a slight waxy bloom. The pulp is juicy, sweet and sour, with a bitter taste.
Viola ripens together, the berries do not crumble from the bush. From one plant, from 2 to 3 kg of the crop are harvested. The main advantages are attractive presentation and strong immunity to diseases.
Gorlinka
An early and very sweet variety, Gorlinka, is popular among Ural and Siberian gardeners. The bushes are small, with a compact and neat crown - Gorlinka will decorate any garden plot.
The berries do not sour and do not taste bitter, they differ in juicy and sweet pulp. The berries are large, weighing from 1 to 2 g, deep blue color. The variety is winter-hardy, yield up to 4 kg per bush. Honeysuckle is used in cooking - jam, compotes are cooked, frozen or dried for the winter.
Interesting! Gorlink's honeysuckle makes a spicy and tasty sauce for meat. The berries are mixed with mint, chili, garlic, herbs, apple cider vinegar and sugar. The sauce goes well with pork and beef.
Cinderella
Plants are small, up to 0.7 m in height, semi-spreading. Berry weight varies from 0.7 g to 1.5 g, depending on the place of cultivation and weather conditions. The shape is elongated, the color is blue, the skin is thin with a bloom.
The taste of honeysuckle is sweet, with a slight pleasant sourness and rich berry aroma. Berries are harvested from June 15, one bush gives from 2 to 4 kg. If the summer is wet and cool, then Cinderella ripens unevenly - gardeners collect fruits gradually.
Bakchar's pride
The variety is popular among gardeners all over Russia. Plants of medium height - from 1 to 1.5 m. The crown is spherical, shoots grow chaotically. The berry weighs about 1.4 g, the color is purple with a blue tint, the skin is dense and rough.
The pulp has a sweet and delicate taste, moderately sweet and juicy. In the first year of cultivation, about 1.5 kg of fruits are harvested from the bush, in subsequent years - from 2 to 4 kg.Bakchar's pride is resistant to weather changes and rarely gets sick. The variety is appreciated for its balanced taste and versatility.
Amphora
Medium-sized bushes reach a height of 1.5 m. The shoots are even, grow straight up - Amphora honeysuckle is often used for decorative purposes and decorate its garden plot. The berry weight varies from 1 g to 2 g, the color is blue-blue, with a waxy bloom.
The pulp is of medium density, the taste is sweet and sour, with a slight bitterness. Advantages - transportability, rich vitamin composition, frost resistance. Productivity is about 2 kg per bush.
Amazon
Slightly spreading bushes are suitable for growing in small garden plots - they take up little space, they are unpretentious in care. Fruit weight about 1 g, violet-blue color, pitcher-like shape. The taste is sweet and sour with bitterness, the pulp is juicy, the aroma is weak.
Productivity up to 1.5 kg per plant. The berries ripen together, do not crumble during the ripening period.
Lapis lazuli
The mid-early variety is resistant to heat and drought, takes root in any region. The bush is medium-sized, strong shoots. The berries are large - the weight of one reaches 1.5 g. The skin is purple and thin, with a slight bloom.
The pulp is tender and pleasant to the taste, sweet, not bitter. Productivity - up to 2.5 kg per plant. Honeysuckle Lapis lazuli weakly affected insect pests, differs in transportability and keeping quality.
Interesting! Watering the honeysuckle is important to get a rich harvest. They do this right under the root - the plant has a compact root system: water must irrigate all the roots. They also do not forget about fertilizers - a mineral complex is added to the soil once a month. When the bushes grow up, gardeners cut off the dried branches.
Cubic zirconia
Vigorous plants require a lot of space and light, so I plant them in spacious and sunny areas. The berry weighs about 1 g, the shape is elongated, the color is blue with a white bloom. The taste is sweet and juicy, without bitterness, the aroma is moderate. I collect about 0.3 kg of crop from 1 square meter.
Cubic zirconia is appreciated for its resistance to frost, stable yield, and attractive appearance. Berries are suitable for decorating dishes, freezing, processing.
Early varieties of honeysuckle for the Urals
The early varieties are harvested in late May or early June. This honeysuckle is used fresh or for the preparation of winter preparations. Early maturing varieties do not cause trouble for gardeners and rarely get sick.
Maria
Frost-resistant fruitful variety. The bushes are compact, undersized. The pulp is tasty and tender, without a sour or bitter tinge. The weight of one fruit reaches 1.5 g, the shape is round-elongated, the color is dark purple. The aroma is rich berry, so they like to eat honeysuckle fresh. Gardeners collect about 1.7 kg from one bush.
Blue bird
The plants are tall, some specimens reach 1.8 m. The crown is massive, oval. The berry weighs about 1.2 g, oblong shape, black-blue color. The pulp is sweet and sour, with a pleasant taste.
Gardeners claim that Bluebird honeysuckle tastes like resembles blueberries... The skin of the fruit is thin, with a waxy coating. The yield of the variety is about 2 kg per bush, the Blue Bird ripens in mid-June.
Wiliga
The mid-early variety is characterized by sweet flesh and juicy taste. The bush is vigorous, requires a lot of space and light. The berries are long, up to 0.7 mm. The color is violet-blue, there is a waxy coating. The mass of honeysuckle is about 1 g, the yield is up to 2.4 kg per plant. The variety is resistant to frost and high humidity, rarely gets sick, unpretentious in cultivation.
Interesting! Honeysuckle is a perennial plant, so a bush can grow in one place for up to 80 years. A pit of 1 mx 1 m is prepared for planting. A thick layer of drainage is placed on the bottom, for example, from broken bricks. The seedlings are placed in a hole so that the lower branches are covered with soil. After the honeysuckle is mulched with leaves, cut grass, needles, ash or sawdust.
Mid-season varieties
Mid-season honeysuckle varieties ripen by June 20-25.It is important to choose a berry that does not fall to the ground after ripening. Let's consider popular varieties further.
Nymph
Plant height about 1.6 m, branches of medium length. Nymph is a frost-resistant variety that produces crops even in cold summers. Fruits are elongated, dark blue in color. The berry weighs about 1.2 g, the pulp is of medium density, juicy. The taste is sweet and sour, pleasant. Gardeners from one plant collect about 2 kg of honeysuckle.
Bazhovskaya
The plant is tall and spreading, grows up to 2 m. Fruits are outwardly similar to small barrels - dense, slightly elongated. The berry weighs about 1.5 g, some specimens reach 2 g. The color is dark blue, the surface is lumpy. The taste is sweet and delicate, so the berry is used for making desserts and baked goods. The yield is about 2.5 kg per plant.
Yugan
The bush is tall, about 1.7 m. The berries are black-purple, with a waxy bloom. Oval shape, slightly rounded tip. Berry weight is about 1.6 g, dessert taste, with a refreshing sourness. Productivity is stable - from 3 to 6 kg per bush per season.
Berries stay on the plant for up to 1.5 months, do not crumble. Suitable for long-term storage and transportation. After freezing, Yugan's honeysuckle does not change its taste and retains vitamins and minerals.
Late honeysuckle for the Urals
Late-ripening honeysuckle varieties bear fruit by early or mid-July. There is an opinion that late berries are the sweetest.
Fire opal
The bushes are medium-sized, reach a height of 1.5 g. The berry weight is about 1 g, the color is black-blue, with a strong waxy bloom. The pulp is juicy, the taste is sweet with bitterness. The shape of the berry is round-oval, the skin is smooth. The yield of Fire Opal is stable - from 3 to 6 kg per season. The variety is resistant to fungal and viral diseases, winter hardy.
Darling
The bush is high, the crown is dense. The berries are large, one weighs about 1.2 g. The shape is oval, elongated, with a pointed tip. The color is violet-blue, the skin is thin. The chosen one is appreciated for its attractive presentation and sweet taste. Productivity up to 3.5 kg per bush per season.
Commonwealth
The height of the bush is up to 2 m, the shoots are powerful and spreading. The berry is oval-round, blue in color, the surface is bumpy. The weight of honeysuckle reaches 1.5 g, the taste is sweet and sour, with a lack of moisture, bitterness is felt. When ripe, the berries do not crumble, they are universal in use. Productivity up to 2.5 kg per season.
Other parameters
In addition to the ripening period, when choosing a variety, it is important to pay attention to the size of the berries, taste, and pollination ability. Large honeysuckle is used for freezing or drying, sweet honeysuckle - for making jam or jam for the winter.
The largest
Honeysuckle is rich in vitamins and minerals, so dishes from it are not only tasty, but also healthy. The berry is often used for preparing diet food and drinks - they acquire a tart taste and rich berry aroma.
- Daughter of a giant... The berry mass reaches 2.5 g, the length is about 3 cm. Outwardly, such honeysuckle looks like miniature pears. The taste is sweet and juicy, without bitterness. The yield is stable - gardeners harvest up to 6 kg per season.
- Silginka. Fruit weight about 1.5 g, dark blue color, with a waxy bloom. The pulp is juicy and sweet, with a high content of vitamin C. From one plant, gardeners annually collect up to 3 kg of berries. The variety is resistant to insect pests.
- Siberian. Frost-resistant variety is ideal for growing in the Urals. Weight about 1.5 g, thin skin, blue color. The pulp is tender, the taste is dessert, sweet and sour. One bush gives 3-4 kg of honeysuckle per season.
Self-pollinated varieties of honeysuckle
Self-pollinating varieties are varieties that do not need pollinating insects. They do not exist in honeysuckle, although many agronomists are still dealing with this issue and are trying to develop a self-pollinated variety.
The optimal solution is to plant a berry that requires cross-pollination. It occurs with the help of insects that transfer pollen from one flower to another.It is important that these are flowers of different varieties of honeysuckle.
Varieties and pollinators can be as follows:
- Brown and Blue Spindle;
- Bluebird and Cinderella;
- Nymph and Pushkinskaya.
Gardeners plant these varieties next to each other. Cross-pollination and flowering of the berry occurs. Remarkably, this growing method is considered one of the most effective.
The sweetest
Sweet varieties like moderate moisture, balanced top dressing, and loose and fertile soil. Such berries are suitable for fresh consumption - they are loved by adults and children.
The pulp should be juicy and tender, with a sweet taste.
- Viola. Berry weight about 1 g, elongated shape. The color is dark purple, sometimes black. The variety is resistant to insects and pests, the yield is about 1.5 kg per bush.
- My joy. Weight about 1.2 g, dessert pulp, without bitterness. My joy ripens by the beginning of July, gardeners use the harvest to prepare preparations. To obtain a rich harvest, it is recommended to fertilize the honeysuckle with mineral fertilizers.
- Swallow. The berry weighs about 1.5 g, the taste is very sweet. Ripen by mid-June, frost-resistant. Plants are unpretentious to care for. Productivity is about 0.5 kg from 1 sq.m. The Swallow variety has a pleasant berry aroma.
How to choose a variety - expert recommendations
For planting in the Urals, frost-resistant varieties are chosen. The seedlings must be strong, the recommended age is no more than two years. Pay attention to the branches - they should be flexible, not dry, without creases and cracks. It is important to check with the seller for what year the honeysuckle will bear fruit.
Also, when buying, gardeners take into account the following characteristics:
- taste qualities;
- yield;
- care requirements;
- crumbling;
- resistance to diseases and pests.
If honeysuckle is chosen for decorative purposes, then they do not pay attention to taste and yield - the height and size of the bush, foliage, crown play a role. If the berries are used for culinary purposes, then on the contrary - they do not look at the height of the tree, only the taste characteristics and yield are important.
Conclusion
Honeysuckle is a garden decoration and a source of vitamins and minerals. The berries are distinguished by a bizarre shape and an appetizing blue-purple hue. For the Urals, the varieties Viola, Chosen One, Blue Bird, Commonwealth are chosen.
Before buying a seedling, pay attention to its appearance, a description of the variety and reviews of other gardeners. Honeysuckle is planted in dry and nutritious soil, after digging a hole and placing a small stone on the bottom. In care, honeysuckle is unpretentious, however, it is important to observe the watering regime and cut dry and weak branches in time.