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Plum Trees
Our premium plum trees are perfect even for a beginner as they’re so reliable and heavy cropping. Small space and container gardeners will love the variety of sizes - including patio trees and cordons. Damsons and gages are from the same family and are well worth adding to your home orchard. And naturally they’re all traditionally grown and hand-picked (literally) by our UK tree growers for their exceptional performance, so they’re guaranteed to produce the goods!
Which plum tree?
Plums, gages and damsons are all members of the Prunus domestica family. Plums are large, soft fleshed and can be used for eating or cooking, depending on the variety. They’re easy to grow. Gages are smaller, rounder and sweeter for eating but need more sun than plums. Damsons are very easy to grow, have a tart flavour and are best for cooking and jam. Plums and gages will produce a crop within three years (1-2 years for smaller dwarfing varieties) while damsons may take between 3 and 5 - however it is worth the wait! Opal is great for a medium to large garden. If you have a small space or want to grow in a pot, choose a patio tree like Victoria. Here’s some more help with choosing.
What's the deal with rootstocks?
A tree’s rootstock determines how large it will grow, so it’s important to choose the right one for your space. Plum, damson or gage trees on Pixy rootstock grow to around 3m so they’re perfect for small to medium gardens. Trees on St Julien A (SJA) rootstocks are more vigorous, reaching heights of 4.5-5m.
Growers' tips
Plum trees are easy to grow. They’re happy in most well draining soils and prefer a sunny site. Prune them annually and they’ll reward you with many trouble free years. Many plum trees can fruit without another tree to pollinate them, but some need another plum nearby to do this for them. In theory this means that if you only plant one plum tree, it should be a self-fertile variety. However it’s very unlikely (unless you live in a remote area) that there won’t be another plum tree within a mile of you. If you do live in a remote area, self fertile varieties include Victoria Plum and Farleigh Damson.
Using your plums
Plums are delicious straight from the tree, but if we know plum trees (and we know plum trees), you’ll have more than you can eat! Make them into crumble, jam, chutney and tarts or check out our favourite recipes and ideas for preserving your bumper crop. Grown your own damsons? You have to try the classic gin…