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Denniston's Superb plum trees

Prunus domestica
  • Picking season: Mid
  • Self-fertility: Self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 2

The small round green fruits of Denniston's Superb look like typical green gages, and have the rich gage-like flavor. However, illustrating how ill-defined the boundary between European plum and gage is, it is now generally considered to be a true European plum, on the basis of its upright growth habit and generally reliable productivity.

These niceties need not both the gardener - if you want a green gage without the fussy demands of some other green gages, this is the one to choose.

Denniston's Superb also has particularly attractive blossom, with larger flowers than most other plum trees.

Rated by the Victorian writer Hogg as "a first-rate dessert plum".

Denniston's Superb plum trees for sale

Pot-grown

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 £43.50
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • PG22-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree St. Julien rootstock £42.50
    Large tree (3m-4m after 10 years)

Bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root tree VVA-1 rootstock £23.95
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR21-year bare-root tree St. Julien rootstock £22.95
    Large tree (3m-4m after 10 years)

How to grow

Although the round green fruit resembles a green gage, Denniston's Superb grows more like a plum tree - upright, quite vigorously, and with good disease resistance. The long whippy branches soon adopt a weeping habit when loaded with fruit.

Denniston's Superb produces a lot of pollen over a long period in the earlier part of the plum blossom season, and is therefore an excellent pollinator for other early and mid-season flowering plum varieties.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

Raised by Mr Denniston of Albany, New York, USA in the 19th century.

Denniston's Superb characteristics

Using

  • CroppingGood
  • Picking seasonMid
  • Keeping (of fruit)1-3 days
  • Fruit persistenceNormal ripening
  • Flavour qualityVery good
  • WildlifeRHS perfect for pollinators
  • Food usesEating freshDual purpose

Growing

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
  • Flowering group2
  • Pollinating othersGood
  • VigourAverage vigour
  • Bearing regularityRegular
  • Organic cultureSuitable

Problems

  • Disease resistanceGood

Climate

  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climates
  • Summer average maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)

Identification

  • Country of originUnited States
  • Period of origin1850 - 1899
  • Flower colourWhite
  • Leaf colourGreen
  • Fruit colourGreen - light