2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Bird cherry is called the northern bride or northern beauty. And if you saw how the bird cherry blossoms, you must admit that during this period it seems to put on a white fluffy dress - the branches are so abundantly strewn with long thick snow-white flower tassels. However, bird cherry, despite all its beauty and benefits, is an infrequent inhabitant of our gardens. Why is that? Let's figure out how to use bird cherry for our own good, and what to watch out for
A magical scent, but not everyone will like it
The value of bird cherry is not only in its bewitching beauty and intoxicating aroma, but also in many other useful qualities. First of all, it is an excellent honey plant. In addition, the aroma of bird cherry is not only pleasant, but also saturated with phytoncides. It fights bacteria development, kills germs, saves from mold, drives away flies and mosquitoes.
At the same time, there is a downside to this medal. If you feel unwell near the blooming bird cherry, it is better to bypass it by another road. Therefore, not everyone decides to land it on their site.
For fruiting - virgin bird cherry
There is another reason why many do not want to grow bird cherry and prefer other trees. Bird cherry is not a small tree. However, the quality of the fruit leaves much to be desired. In addition, her fruiting is irregular. And harvesting is not an easy task.
But if you really decide on such a feat, then the berries can be used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. And for cultivation, it is better to choose virgin bird cherry. But immediately you need to decide for what purposes you need a tree. If for fruit production, this is an excellent choice. And when you are going to enjoy the magical aroma, then in this case you will be disappointed - it does not exude the strong smell that the common bird cherry has.
Bird cherry for culinary and medicinal purposes
The berries can be harvested from July to September. They can be eaten raw, dried, or processed. Jelly and fruit drinks are made from berries, used as a filling for baking. Suitable for making liqueurs, liqueurs, homemade wine.
Dry berries are brewed and drunk instead of tea. By the way, a glass of decoction of two tablespoons of berries helps with indigestion.
For medicinal purposes, flowers, bark and leaves of plants are also harvested. The bark is harvested in early spring. An infusion is prepared from it, which is used to treat rheumatism and gout. Used for fever and as a diaphoretic.
An infusion is also prepared from the flowers. It has anti-inflammatory properties. Procurement of raw materials is carried out in May. Leave to dry in the fresh air, but in a shaded place.
Reproduction and care of bird cherry
Bird cherry is propagated in different ways. The easiest way to grow a tree is from a layering. It will turn out to be propagated by root suckers and rhizome shoots. Can also be grown using cuttings and sowing seeds.
Seeds are sown in two terms. If you have fresh seeds, you can sow in the fall. When you are going to do this in the spring, then you will need to stratify the seeds first.
Seedlings grow in the nursery first. And at the age of two they are sent to a permanent place of residence.
In its natural habitat, bird cherry grows up to 15 meters high. But in horticulture, the height of the tree must be controlled by pruning so that it does not rise above 4 meters.
Bird cherry virginiana, depending on the method of reproduction, begins to bear fruit for 3-6 years. The first harvest will have to wait the longest from a tree obtained from seedlings. But the green cuttings of the Virginia bird cherry take root poorly.
The peculiarities of care include the need to combat abundant growth. You also need to keep in mind that Verginsky's winter hardiness is lower than that of common bird cherry. Therefore, in regions with severe winters, the tree may freeze slightly. It recovers quickly, though.
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