Meritare plum trees Prunus domestica Meritare is an attractive new early-season plum from Sweden, and can be considered an improved version of the popular Opal plum - which is one of its parents. It has a similar or better flavour, and the fruit-size is much larger.
It is also a good choice if you are looking for an early-season plum to grow in colder climates.
Meritare plum trees for sale
Bare-root BR1 1-year bare-root tree Wavit rootstock £ 27.50 Large tree
(3m-4m after 10 years)
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Pre-ordering You can pre-order now for delivery from late August / 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 Meritare is reasonably disease-resistant, and cold-hardy in all UK situations.
Meritare is considered too light-cropping by many commercial growers, but for the gardener this is a good thing - lighter crops often mean better flavour, and larger fruit size.
It is a good pollinator for many other plums, damsons and mirabelles, including Mirabelle de Nancy, Avalon, Belle de Louvain, Victoria, Cambridge Gage, Farleigh and Shropshire Prune.
Advice on fruit tree pollination .
History Meritare was developed in the 1980s at the Balsgaard research station in southern Sweden. It is a cross between an American dessert plum called Ontario, and the well-known Opal plum from Sweden. (Some authorities state incorrectly that it was developed at the INRA research station in Bordeaux, France).
Meritare characteristics Gardening skill Average Self-fertility Not self-fertile Flowering group 3 Pollinating others Average Climate suitability Temperate climates Mild damp climates Picking season Early Cropping Light Keeping (of fruit) 1-3 days Food uses Eating fresh Flavour style (apples) Sweeter Country of origin France Period of origin 1950 - 1999 Fruit colour Red Similar varieties Opal Opal is an early plum variety with a good flavour, self-fertile and very easy to grow.
