Phillyrea 'Philirea' – early-maturing variety of fruit-bearing shrub, reaching a height of 1.5 to 2 meters and having a spreading canopy of medium density. Leaves are dark green, elongated with slight pubescence, and shoots are straight and hairless, giving the shrub a neat appearance.
Fruits are large (0.9–1.2 g), oval-round in shape with a thickened tip, dark blue with a bluish or grayish bloom. The pulp is juicy and tender, with a sweet-and-sour taste without bitterness, making the berries an excellent ingredient for desserts and fresh consumption. 'Philirea' berries ripen at the end of May – beginning of June, providing early access to vitamins.
The shrub is self-sterile, but for good yield it is recommended to plant 2–3 different pollinator varieties (e.g., Blue spindle, Blue bird, Morana). It fruits from the third to fourth year after planting, reaching maximum yield of 3–4 kg per shrub by the sixth to seventh year. The plant is unpretentious: prefers fertile, well-drained soils, especially loamy and sandy loam, sunny sites with light shading in the afternoon. High frost resistance to -40 °C makes it suitable for zone 4 hardiness.
'Philirea' is distinguished by resistance to diseases and pests, as well as resistance to berry shedding. For planting, a distance of at least 1.5 meters between shrubs is recommended; during pruning, only dried branches are removed to preserve the natural shape of the shrub.
