Spring / Summer 2025Pre-order now for delivery September onwards.
Tel. 01759 392007

Shepherds Bullace damson trees

Prunus insititia
Shepherd's Bullace fruit
Shepherds Bullace is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Late
  • Self-fertility: Self-fertile

Shepherds Bullace is a traditional English bullace - effectively a type of damson. The fruits have an extremely sharp flavour and are ideal for cooking with. The flavour sweetens after hard frosts.

Cropping is usually very good and the tree is tough and reliable.

Shepherds Bullace damson trees for sale

Pot-grown

All our pot-grown trees are grown for us to our specification by the Frank P Matthews nursery.

All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.

  • PG12-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree VVA-1 rootstock£62.00
    Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • PG22-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree St. Julien rootstock£60.50
    Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)

Bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root treeSt. Julien rootstock£38.75
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
    Please try next season
  • BR22-year bush-trained bare-root treeSt. Julien rootstock£47.50
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
    Please try next season
  • BR32-year half-standard bare-root treeSt. Julien rootstock£51.00
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
    Please try next season

Need help? Ask our fruit tree experts

Call us on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.

Tree specification

Photos of trees as supplied | Tree sizes and forms

Pre-ordering

Pre-order now for delivery in September 2025

Delivery charges

Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.

Growing and Training

Shepherds Bullace is easy to grow, and needs little pruning.

Recommended pollinators for Shepherds Bullace damson trees

Shepherds Bullace is self-fertile, so you do not need another variety to pollinate it to produce fruit. However you are likely to get a better crop if you plant any of the following pollinator varieties nearby. If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us. More pollinators >

  • Pollinator Farleigh
    Farleigh
    One of the hardiest damsons, and crops heavily. Farleigh has the distinctive damson flavour.
  • Pollinator Marjorie's Seedling
    Marjorie's Seedling
    Marjorie's Seedling is an easy to grow, late-season, heavy cropping purple/black plum.
  • Pollinator Mirabelle de Nancy
    Mirabelle de Nancy
    Mirabelle de Nancy is the definitive traditional French Mirabelle, originating from north-east France.
  • Pollinator Shropshire Prune
    Shropshire Prune
    The definitive English damson, Shropshire Prune has the rich astringent flavour typical of damsons.
  • Pollinator Victoria
    Victoria
    Victoria is the definitive English plum, attractive fruit, good for eating, outstanding flavour for cooking.
  • Pollinator Merryweather
    Merryweather
    Merryweather is a very popular damson, with unusually large fruit, one of the hardiest of fruit trees.
  • Pollinator Czar
    Czar
    Czar is a traditional culinary plum, one of the easiest plums trees, will even fruit on north-facing walls.

Shepherds Bullace characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
  • Flowering group3
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climatesMild damp climatesWarm climates

Using

  • Picking seasonLate
  • CroppingHeavy
  • Keeping (of fruit)1 week
  • Food usesCulinary

Problems

  • Disease resistanceGood

Identification

  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Blossom colourWhite
  • Fruit colourPurple - light

British-grown trees Trees grown in the UK.

Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK. Find out more.

In addition, all our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance. Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. The scheme aims to improve UK biosecurity by setting standards for all growers and retailers involved in selling plants in the UK. Find out more

Guaranteed fruit trees

When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden whilst it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund - subject to some conditions. Find out more.

More about damson trees

Damsons are primarily grown for use in the kitchen - if you can find the space it is definitely worth having at least one damson tree in your fruit tree collection.

Damsons have a distinctive rich flavour, similar but quite different to plums. They are superb for making jams, jellies, crumbles, and pies.

Damsons trees belong to the species Prunus insititia, which also includes Bullaces, St. Juliens, and Mirabelles. Damsons originate from Damascus in Syria and the name comes from the term "Damascene plum". This might suggest they need a Mediterranean climate, but in fact damson trees grow very easily in cold climates or situations where other plum tree species might not flourish. In the UK the centre of commercial damson production is the Lyth valley in Cumbria, north-west England, notable for its wet climate. However, although they can succeed in areas where sunlight is not plentiful, damson trees do not grow well if they are shaded.

Damson trees are therefore a reliable source of fresh fruit in climates where other fruit trees may not succeed. They are also amongst the easiest of fruit trees to grow, needing no pruning once they are established - indeed pruning is not only unnecessary but undesirable with damsons.

For more information about damsons, see Daiv Sizer's guide to damsons (PDF). Pruning guide for damsons - Pots 2 Plots.


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