Summer 2021 - important noticeWe are now accepting pre-orders for delivery from September for pot grown trees and December for bare-rooted trees. More>
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Early Transparent Gage plum trees

Prunus domestica

Early Transparent Gage is a traditional English gage, but somewhat different from the more common green or yellow gages. It gets its name from the translucent skin and flesh - if you hold a ripe fruit up to the light you can often make out the stone inside.

Early Transparent Gage makes a good choice if you want to grow a gage which is not as fussy as the Old Green Gage. Cropping is good by gage standards (although still light compared with many plums) and it is reasonably reliable.

It has the rich sweet gage-like flavour and aroma of a genuine gage, but it is also a good culinary variety producing a well-flavoured straw-coloured jam.

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Early Transparent Gage 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 £45.50
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • PG22-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree St. Julien rootstock £45.00
    Large tree (3m-4m after 10 years)

Bare-root

  • BR12-year half-standard bare-root tree St. Julien rootstock £37.95
    Large tree (3m-4m after 10 years)
Pre-ordering

You can pre-order now for delivery from early September 2021 for pot grown trees (or late November / early December for bare-root). You do not need to pay at this stage - just add items to the basket and checkout as usual.

How to grow

By gage standards, Early Transparent Gage is quite easy to grow and the tree is a bit more vigourous than most gages. It can be grown in the north of the UK but benefits from a south-facing situation.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

Early Transparent Gage was raised by the famous Rivers Nursery in Hertfordshire in the 1860s, from an open-pollinated Transparent Gage (Reine Claude Diaphane). It is one of the "diaphanous" gages, on account of its translucent skin and flesh.

Early Transparent Gage characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
  • Flowering group3
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climates

Using

  • Picking seasonMid
  • CroppingGood
  • Keeping (of fruit)1-3 days
  • Food usesEating freshCulinaryDual purpose
  • Flavour style (apples)Sweeter
  • Cooking resultPuree

Problems

  • Disease resistanceAverage
  • Fruit splittingSome susceptibility

Climate

    Identification

    • Country of originUnited Kingdom
    • Period of origin1850 - 1899
    • Fruit colourOrange flush