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Varieties of princesses, bred in recent years, have made this berry popular with gardeners. Breeders managed to tame a wild plant, improve its characteristics. Today it is also possible to grow it on an industrial scale. The article provides descriptions of the varieties of the princess with a photo and reviews about it.
Types and varieties of princesses
The princess is a perennial semi-shrub of the Pink family, averaging about 20 cm high. It is also known by many names, including raspberry, 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 qualities are considered the best of all berries.
The leaves are trifoliate, covered with wrinkles, have petioles and two stipules. In mid-summer, pink flowers appear on the bushes. The fruits can be harvested at the end of August and in September, they are a drupe that looks like raspberries. Weight within 1-2 g. Color varies from cherry to purple. The taste is sweet and sour, there is an aroma of pineapple. The aerial part of the bush dies off annually.
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 small. The flowers are purple-purple in color.
The cultivated princess, which gardeners grow in their own plots, also bears little fruit even with abundant flowering. This prevented its wide distribution. A lot of experiments have been carried out to increase its productivity.
Slightly more berries are brought by Swedish and Finnish hybrids of the princess. Breeders managed to preserve the taste of the berry, but at the same time increase fruiting. From the moment they were introduced, the princess began to be successfully cultivated in summer cottages and gained popularity among gardeners.
The best varieties of princesses with descriptions and photos
To date, a fairly large number of varieties of princess have been bred. This allows you to grow it in various climatic conditions. Below are descriptions of popular varieties of princess.
Astra (Astra)
Bushes of Astra princesses reach 25 cm in height. The fruits are red, weighing about 2 g. It ripens in July. This is a hybrid of princess and bone. When planting a bush in spring and summer, it is already gaining strength, the rhizome becomes woody and is located at a depth of 15 cm. The stem is erect, triangular, has scales at the base. The leaves are trifoliate, wrinkled, quite thin, reminiscent of raspberries.
Flowering is plentiful, begins from the end of May. Petals usually five, they are painted in reddish-pink. Flowers are bisexual, apical, solitary, collected in brushes of three. The fruits are dark cherry or red in color, similar to blackberries, and have a strong aroma.
Princess of the Astra variety in the photo:
Aura (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. The fruits are bright red in color, their weight is about 2 g. They ripen 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 the princess. Caring for a bush is quite simple. Frost resistance is lower than that of wild berries.
Anna
It is a hybrid of the princess and the bone tree, the bushes are compact up to 15 cm in size. The leaves are trifoliate, with a wrinkled surface, have two stipules. At the end of June, the Anna princesses bloom. The fruits are red, ripen in September, weigh within 1-2 g. The flowers are bisexual, 2 cm in size, pink in color. The berry is very fragrant and similar to raspberries, consists of 30-50 small fruits. The taste is sweet, with sourness.
In the photo there is a berry of the princess of the Anna variety, the description of which is given above:
Sofia
Sofia variety prince has small bushes 10-15 cm tall. It is similar in size to wild strawberries. Grows well in sunny places. Flowering begins at the end of June and continues 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 Sophia are round, red in color, sweet and sour in taste. They are used both fresh and processed. The leaves can be dried and then brewed into tea.
Beata
A hybrid of a princess and a stone fruit of early ripening. The bush reaches 30 cm in height. The Beata variety is large-fruited, the average weight of berries is 1,5 g. It blooms from the end of May, buds appear on the plant, painted purple. Princess Beata is unpretentious in care. The main condition is the choice of a place – on the sunny side and with protection from the winds. Berries ripen in July, they are sweet in taste and suitable for any kind of processing.
Mespi
The plant has an erect stem 20 cm high. The Mespi variety is characterized by early ripening and large fruits. The berries are sweet, have a pineapple flavor. 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. It grows well in moist soils, in sunlit places. In the wild, these are edges, thickets of low shrubs, swamps, damp forests.
Linda (Linda)
A large-fruited hybrid of princesses and stone fruits of early ripening. Bush 15 cm, trifoliate leaves, petioles long pubescent. Flowers apical, singly planted, bisexual with pink petals. Buds appear at the end of June, and fruits at the end of July. Berries have a pronounced sweet taste with hints of pineapple, their color can be from red to purple, there is a bluish coating. The weight of the fetus is on average 1,2 g.
Susanna
A high-yielding variety of Finnish selection of princesses. 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.
OLPEE (Elpee)
One of the new productive varieties of Finnish selection. Resistant to pyrenosporosis and does not require much effort in care. The average height of the bush is 35 cm, the rhizome is long, thin and creeping. Flowering occurs in June. Taste qualities of fruits are high. The berries themselves are large, ripen in August, colored purple with a bluish bloom.
Prefers slightly shaded places protected from open winds.
Nectar
When crossing raspberries and princesses, Finnish breeders got the Heiss nectar raspberry. The bush is large, grows up to 1,5 m in height. Plant care is the same as for ordinary raspberries, including cutting shoots in the spring. It is best to have the Nectarnaya 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 princess with a characteristic pineapple flavor. All the beneficial properties of the northern berry Nectar raspberries retained in themselves.
Pima (Pima)
The variety has long been known and managed to prove itself well among gardeners. Large-fruited princess of the Pima variety of early ripening, berries appear already in July. The bush grows up to 25 cm. The leaves are trifoliate, ovoid, equipped with two stipules.
When flowering, it is quite decorative, the petals can be painted white, pink or crimson, depending on the form and place of growth. This allows the princess to be planted 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 berries is sweet, a characteristic aroma is present.
Varieties of princesses for regions
The prince is a northern berry, but breeders have successfully adapted it to warmer climates as well. A large number of varieties allow you to choose the right one. The difference in taste between them is small, all of them are very high.
For the Moscow region and central Our Country
In the climate of the Moscow region and the middle zone, the varieties of princesses Beata, Anna, Sofia, Linda will grow well. These hybrids have a high yield, while they are unpretentious in care. The soil should be acidic, well-drained.
For Siberia and the Urals
The varietal princess differs from the wild one in abundant fruiting, but at the same time its frost resistance suffers. For the northern regions, cold-resistant hybrids are chosen. Good yields in varieties Astra and Aura. 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 a few tips:
- it is necessary to have at least 2 varieties on the site for cross-pollination by insects;
- to attract bumblebees and bees, it is recommended to plant bushes so that they form a continuous flowering carpet;
- experienced gardeners recommend isolating each variety so as not to confuse them later;Advice! The ripeness of the berries is indicated by a rich color and a bluish coating.
- varieties Astra, Aura, Elpee, Susanna, Mespi, Pima, Linda, Beata, Anna, Sofia are resistant to heat up to + 40 ° C, therefore they are suitable for cultivation in the southern regions;
- for 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 very few fruits with abundant flowering, but this figure is increased in the garden princess.
Reviews
