Plums and Cherry Plums

Cherry plums are a cross between sandcherry and plum varieties. The cherry plums are usually grown from cuttings and are dependably hardy. They tend to produce at an earlier age than other plum varieties. The growth habit of the cherry plum is that of a sprawling shrub rather than an upright tree. They will reach a height of about 10 feet.

The other plum varieties are either Japanese, North American or a cross between the two (hybrids). All are wide spreading trees that will grow to a height of about 25 feet, so be sure to give them room when you plant them. All plums will benefit from some protection from harsh winter winds and late spring frosts.

POLLINATION: Cherry plum and plum varieties will inter-pollinate with each other provided they are in bloom at the same time. Japanese and North American plums will act as the pollinators for hybrid plums but hybrids are not always successful as pollinators. If planting hybrid plums it may be wise to plant at least one other to help with pollination.

The groups that we list are a guideline, but be aware that bloom times can differ under different growing conditions. There may be some overlap between the different groups. Adding some of the shrubs that act as pollinators will make more pollen available and may improve your plum crop.

Pollination is done by insects, primarily by bees. If we have a cool spring and there is not a lot of insect activity you may have to help a little by rubbing a branch of one tree over the blossoms of another.

Click on each of the pollination group headings for information about individual varieties.

Pollination Group #1
Select two or more varieties from this group for pollination. Apricots and Nanking cherries will also pollinate this group.

Pollination Group #2
There may be some overlap with group #3, however it is best to select at least two varieties from this group if possible.

Pollination Group #3
Sandcherry will help to pollinate these late blooming plums.

Plum Perfect

If any one of you has plums growing in your garden, you will know that the trees are very vigorous. Yet with all that vigor, fruit crops are often poor. So just how do you grow a perfect plum tree that will yield tremendous crops?

Poor plum pollination is probably the reason that fruit crops are produced inconsistently. The plum varieties we grow require cross-pollination by another variety of plum tree. It is important that these two trees be in bloom at the same time. I have found that the most successful plum plantings contain a number of different varieties in close proximity, this allows for variances in bloom time from year to year. I realize that this could be a problem in a small yard. The answer may be to graft a number of varieties on one tree. It might be a good idea to let a branch of the original rootstock grow up to provide pollen for cross-pollination.

Pollen is transferred between trees by insects, primarily bees during spring blossom. The first three days after the flowers open are the optimum days for successful pollination. Plums are the first group of trees to bloom in the spring. Cool weather is a problem in several ways. The flowers can be damaged by frosts, or the temperatures may just be to low for the fruit to set - it should be above three degrees Celsius throughout the bloom period for the fruit to successfully set. The other cool weather problem is that the insects are not flying, thus not transferring pollen.

Plant your plum trees in areas that do not thaw as quickly in the spring. Study your yard and make note of the areas where the snow is last to leave in the spring. Avoid areas that are low and might be frost pockets. A Northeast-facing slope would be a good location with the trees being planted part way up the slope allowing any late spring frosts or early fall frosts to drain the bottom of the slope, preventing damage to the flowers or fruit. By planting in such a location the trees will not break dormancy till the ambient air temperatures are higher.

If you can delay the blossom time until the temperatures are warmer insects should be more active and available to transfer pollen. In the urban environment there may not be large populations of insects available. Be sure to go out and check your trees when they are in bloom, you should hear the buzzing if there are adequate insects for pollination to occur. If there is not obvious insect activity you might consider importing a few bees for the blossom season.

Plums are beautiful trees. They provide a beautiful fragrant display of blossom in the spring and their silver gray bark is very attractive against the snow in the winter months. But the main reason to grow plums is the enjoyment of the fruit. Nothing tastes better than a ripe juicy plum plucked right off the tree. I have found myself standing at the base of one of my plum trees with sweet juice running down my chin and realizing that I’ve eaten a dozen or so plums in quick succession. Fresh, canned or made into plum jam they are simply delicious.

So, plant some plum trees and ENJOY!

Amanda Chedzoy