Czar plum trees
Prunus domestica - Picking season: Mid Early August
- Self-fertility: Self-fertile
- Flowering group: 3
- Awards: RHS AGM (current) 1993
Czar is a large dark black/purple plum, with good astringency and ideal for culinary purposes. It can also be eaten fresh if you leave it to get fully ripe. Rated by Hogg (writing in the 1880s) as an "excellent plum".
The blossom is unusually large for a plum.
Czar plum 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, St. Julien rootstock£61.50
Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Bare-root
BR11-year bare-root tree,VVA-1 rootstock£41.50
Medium tree
(2m-3m after 10 years)
BR22-year bush-trained bare-root tree,VVA-1 rootstock£49.75
Medium tree
(2m-3m after 10 years)
BR31-year bare-root tree,Wavit rootstock£38.75
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
BR41-year bare-root tree,St. Julien rootstock£38.75
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
BR52-year bush-trained bare-root tree,St. Julien rootstock£47.50
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
BR62-year half-standard bare-root tree,St. Julien rootstock£51.00
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
BR71-year bare-root tree,Brompton rootstock£41.25
Very large tree
(4m-7m after 10 years)
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
Czar is an excellent choice for less than ideal conditions, including areas of heavy rainfall or low light levels. It is reliable, heavy-cropping, self-fertile, and can be grown shade or north-facing situations if necessary. The tree is compact and attractive. Czar has average disease resistance but good frost resistance.
If you want another plum tree to pollinate your Czar then Victoria is a good choice as it is typically in peak flower just a couple of days later than Czar.
Recommended pollinators for Czar plum trees
Czar 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 >
VictoriaVictoria is the definitive English plum, attractive fruit, good for eating, outstanding flavour for cooking.
OpalOpal is an early plum variety with a good flavour, self-fertile and very easy to grow.
Marjorie's SeedlingMarjorie's Seedling is an easy to grow, late-season, heavy cropping purple/black plum.
JubileeJubilee is a new heavy-cropping dessert plum variety, similar to Victoria but larger and more reliable.
FarleighOne of the hardiest damsons, and crops heavily. Farleigh has the distinctive damson flavour.
History
Czar was raised in Hertfordshire in the 1870s, UK, and is a cross between Prince Englebert and Early Rivers, and named in honour of the Emperor of Russia who was visiting England at the time. Czar has been quite widely grown in the UK as a commercial plum variety.
Czar characteristics
- Gardening skillBeginner
- Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
- Flowering group3
- Pollinating othersAverage
- Climate suitabilityTemperate climatesMild damp climates
- Picking seasonMid
- CroppingHeavy
- Keeping (of fruit)1 week
- Food usesCulinaryDual purpose
- Country of originUnited Kingdom
- Period of origin1850 - 1899
- Blossom colourWhite
- Fruit colourBlue - dark
- AwardsRHS AGM (current)
British-grown trees 
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 while 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 plum trees
Czar, a dark blue plum, is perhaps the best known English cooking plum, but Purple Pershore and Yellow Pershore, and Blaisdon Red are all superb for plum jam.
Adventurous cooks might want to experiment with plum cookery traditions from elsewhere. Try Hauszetsche, a kind of "zwetchen" plum popular in central Europe, and characterised by a very dry sweet flesh
