Plums for cooking with
Gardening skill
?Suitable for beginners10
Average18
Some needed3
Fruit tree categories
Almond trees2Apple trees84
Apricot trees9
Asian pear trees3
Cherry trees20
Cider apple trees10
Crab apple trees26
Damson trees7
Fig trees4
Hazel trees7
Inter-specific fruit trees4
Medlar trees4
Mirabelle trees5
Mulberry trees6
Nectarine trees3
Peach trees8
Pear trees23
Perry pear trees6
Plum trees31
Quince trees7
Saskatoon bushes3
Walnut trees5
Stock availabilitytop
Tree form
1-year10
2-year bush-trained13
Half standard14
Fan-trained1
Supplied as
Bare-root15
Pot-grown16
Height after 10 years
Small (dwarf)
Medium (semi-dwarf)7
Large (semi-vigorous)20
Full-size (standard)
Rootstock
St.Julien19
VVA-17
Wavit4
Usingtop
Picking season
?Very early
Early6
Mid11
Late13
Very late1
Keeping
?Does not keep
1-3 days18
1 week13
2-3 weeks
1-2 months
3 months or more
Uses
Good for eating fresh28
Good for cooking23
Good for juice
Good for cider
Cooking result
Puree3
Textured puree
Keeps shape
Growingtop
Planting position
Full sun essential
Full sun preferred22
Tolerates partial shade6
Tolerates north-facing shade2
Flowering group
?1
28
319
44
5
6
Self-fertility
?Self-fertile18
Partially self-fertile5
Not self-fertile8
Ploidy
?Diploid30
Pollinating others
?Good4
Average27
Poor
Vigour
?Weak growing1
Slightly small1
Average growth13
Slightly large4
Large11
Very large
Precocity
?Precocious2
Slow to start bearing1
Cropping
Heavy15
Good11
Light5
Fruit bearing
?Spur-bearer
Free-spurring
Partial tip-bearer
Tip-bearer
Fruit persistence
?Normal ripening26
Fruit drops when ripe
Ripens over a period3
Persistent
Bearing regularity
?Regular29
Biennial tendency1
Climatetop
Blossom frost-resistance
?Good resistance6
Some resistance
Susceptible
Can be grown in
Temperate climates31
Mild / damp climates6
Warm climates7
Disease resistancetop
General resistance
?Good12
Average13
Poor2
Suitable for organic
?Organic / no-spray culture11
Canker
?Very resistant2
Some resistance6
Neutral
Some susceptibility
Very susceptible1
Scab
?Very resistant
Some resistance
Neutral
Some susceptibility
Very susceptible
Mildew
?Very resistant
Some resistance
Neutral
Some susceptibility
Very susceptible
Silverleaf
?Very resistant1
Some resistance3
Neutral
Some susceptibility1
Very susceptible1
Fruit identificationtop
Country of origin
Belgium 2
France 4
Germany 2
Norway1
Sweden 4
United Kingdom14
United States3
Period of origin
1500 - 1549
1550 - 15991
1600 - 1649
1650 - 1699
1700 - 1749
1750 - 17992
1800 - 18497
1850 - 18997
1900 - 19494
1950 - 19996
20002
Fruit colour
Blue - dark4
Green4
Green - light4
Orange flush1
Purple7
Purple - light1
Red5
Yellow5
top
Plum trees for cooking with
- Plum trees
Avalon
Avalon is a large mid-season red/purple plum, similar to Victoria, with a very good flavour. compareFrom £19.95 to £33.95Flowering: 2partly self-fertilePick: Mid-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Belle de Louvain
Belle de Louvain is a large purple culinary plum, useful because it can be grown on north-facing walls. compareFrom £19.95Flowering: 3self-fertilePick: Mid-seasonUses: Cooking - Plum trees
Cambridge Gage
Cambridge Gage is a reliable green gage, similar to Old Green Gage, with an excellent flavour. compareFrom £19.95 to £55.95Flowering: 3partly self-fertilePick: Late-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Coe's Golden Drop
Coe's Golden Drop is a large oval gage from the 18th century, noted for its excellent flavour. compareFrom £19.95 to £31.50Flowering: 2Pick: Very late-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Czar Best seller
Czar is a traditional culinary plum, one of the easiest plums trees, will even fruit on north-facing walls. compareFrom £19.95 to £55.95Flowering: 3self-fertilePick: Early-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Denniston's Superb
Denniston's Superb is a gage-like green plum, raised in New York in the 19th century. compareFrom £19.95 to £33.95Flowering: 2self-fertilePick: Mid-seasonUses: Eating - Plum trees
Early Transparent Gage
One of the easier gages to grow, Early Transparent has attractive semi-translucent plums. compareFrom £19.95 to £33.95Flowering: 3self-fertilePick: Mid-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Edda
A good quality and cold-hardy early-season purple plum from Norway. compareFrom £19.95Flowering: 2Pick: Early-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Guinevere
Guinevere is a modern late-season dessert plum, with a good flavour. compareFrom £19.95 to £55.95Flowering: 3self-fertilePick: Late-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Haganta®
Haganta is a new large blue plum from Germany, one of the latest-ripening and an excellent flavour. compareFrom £20.45Flowering: 3partly self-fertilePick: Late-seasonUses: Eating - Plum trees
Haus-Zwetsche Best seller
Haus-zwetsche is a damson-like Quetsche or Zwetsche plum, ideal for German-style cakes and desserts. compareFrom £19.95 to £33.95Flowering: 4self-fertilePick: Late-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Herman
Herman is one of the best quality early-season plum varieties, blue/purple with yellow flesh. compareFrom £19.95 to £33.95Flowering: 2self-fertilePick: Early-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Jefferson
Jefferson is a large yellow gage / plum, easy to grow, crops well, very juicy and great flavour. compareFrom £19.95Flowering: 2Pick: Late-seasonUses: Eating - Plum trees
Jubilee Best seller
Jubilee is a new heavy-cropping dessert plum variety, similar to Victoria but larger and more reliable. compareFrom £19.95 to £37.95Flowering: 3self-fertilePick: Mid-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Lindsey Gage
Lindsey Gage is a sweet-flavoured green gage, similar to Cambridge Gage. compareFrom £33.95Flowering: 3Pick: Mid-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Marjorie's Seedling Best seller
Marjorie's Seedling is an easy to grow, late-season, heavy cropping purple/black plum. compareFrom £19.95 to £55.95Flowering: 3self-fertilePick: Late-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Meritare
An attractive new early-season dessert plum from Sweden, with large fruits and good cold-hardiness. compareFrom £19.95Flowering: 3Pick: Early-seasonUses: Eating - Plum trees
Old Green Gage Best seller
The definitive gage - Old Green Gage is arguably the best-flavoured of any plum variety. compareFrom £19.95 to £55.95Flowering: 3Pick: Late-seasonUses: Eating - Plum trees
Opal Best seller
Opal is an early plum variety with a good flavour, self-fertile and very easy to grow. compareFrom £19.95 to £55.95Flowering: 3self-fertilePick: Early-seasonUses: Eating - Plum trees
Oullins Golden Gage Best seller
The flavour of a true gage yet also easy to grow, Oullins Golden Gage is a good first gage tree. compareFrom £19.95 to £55.95Flowering: 4self-fertilePick: Mid-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Purple Pershore
Very similar to Yellow Pershore and with the same excellent culinary qualities. compareFrom £19.95Flowering: 4self-fertilePick: Mid-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Reine Claude de Bavay
The most widely-grown green gage, Reine Claude de Bavay has the distinctive gage-like flavour. compareFrom £33.95Flowering: 3self-fertilePick: Late-seasonUses: Eating - Plum trees
Reine Claude Doree
A high-quality yellow-green gage, and usually more productive than other green gages. compareFrom £33.95Flowering: 3Pick: Late-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Reine Claude Violette
A traditional French gage first recorded in the 18th century, noted for its excellent flavour. Also known as Purple Gage. compareFrom £19.95Flowering: 3partly self-fertilePick: Late-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Rivers' Early Prolific
Early Prolific is a very heavy-cropping early-season plum, raised by the famous Rivers nursery. compareFrom £19.95 to £33.95Flowering: 2self-fertilePick: Early-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Seneca
Seneca is a high-quality late-season large American plum with a notably sweet flavour. compareFrom £19.95Flowering: 3Pick: Late-seasonUses: Eating - Plum trees
Stella's Star®
A modern green-gage, more productive and easier to grow in the UK than the traditional ones. compareFrom £20.45 to £34.45Flowering: 3self-fertilePick: Mid-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Victoria Best seller
Victoria is the definitive English plum, attractive fruit, good for eating, and outstanding flavour for cooking. compareFrom £19.95 to £55.95Flowering: 3self-fertilePick: Mid-seasonUses: Cooking - Plum trees
Warwickshire Drooper
Warwickshire Drooper is a good quality dual-purpose yellow plum, with heavy crops. compareFrom £31.50Flowering: 2self-fertilePick: Late-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Willingham
A traditional English green gage, with a reputation for excellent flavour. compareFrom £19.95 to £33.95Flowering: 3partly self-fertilePick: Late-seasonUses: Eating | Cooking - Plum trees
Yellow Pershore
Also known as Yellow Egg, Yellow Pershore is a self-fertile heavy cropping culinary plum. compareFrom £19.95 to £33.95Flowering: 4self-fertilePick: Mid-seasonUses: Cooking