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

Rivers' Early Prolific plum trees

Prunus domestica
Rivers' Early Prolific is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Early
  • Self-fertility: Self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 2

An attractive English plum, sometimes known as Early Rivers, or, mistakenly, as a "river plum". Rivers' Early Prolific is, as the name suggests, an early and heavy-cropping plum. Rated by the Victorian fruit enthusiast Hogg as "a great bearer, and very hardy, rarely ever missing a crop".

It is dual-purpose, but arguably better for culinary purposes. (For dessert purposes, Opal is probably better).

Rivers' Early Prolific is easy to grow and crops reliably.

Rivers' Early Prolific 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 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 treeVVA-1 rootstock£41.50
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR22-year bush-trained bare-root treeVVA-1 rootstock£49.75
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR31-year bare-root treeWavit rootstock£38.75
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR41-year bare-root treeSt. Julien rootstock£38.75
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR52-year bush-trained bare-root treeSt. Julien rootstock£47.50
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR62-year half-standard bare-root treeSt. Julien rootstock£51.00
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR71-year bare-root treeBrompton 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

Rivers' Early Prolific is unusual for a plum tree in that it grows with a slightly "pendulous" habit - somewhat reminscent of an upright weeping willow. The trunk will eventually reach the normal proportions but the branches and twigs always stay disproportionately thin.

Cropping potential is often greater than the branches can bear, so thinning of the fruit and/or branch supports may be necessary.

Like some of its offspring (e.g. Czar) Rivers' Early Prolific can also tolerate shade.

Somewhat counter-intuitively, whilst Rivers's Early Prolific crops heavily, it is not a vigorous tree, and tends to be small or average size.

Recommended pollinators for Rivers' Early Prolific plum trees

Rivers' Early Prolific 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 Victoria
    Victoria
    Victoria is the definitive English plum, attractive fruit, good for eating, outstanding flavour for cooking.
  • Pollinator Avalon
    Avalon
    Avalon is a large mid-season red/purple plum, similar to Victoria, with a very good flavour.
  • Pollinator Denniston's Superb
    Denniston's Superb
    Denniston's Superb is a gage-like green plum, raised in New York in the 19th century.
  • Pollinator Herman
    Herman
    Herman is one of the best quality early-season plum varieties, blue/purple with yellow flesh.
  • Pollinator Marjorie's Seedling
    Marjorie's Seedling
    Marjorie's Seedling is an easy to grow, late-season, heavy cropping purple/black plum.
  • Pollinator Opal
    Opal
    Opal is an early plum variety with a good flavour, self-fertile and very easy to grow.

History

Rivers' Early Prolific was raised by the famous Thomas Rivers nursery in Hertfordshire, UK, in the 1830s. It was developed from an early-season French plum variety called Precoce de Tours.

It was grown commercially in the UK for a period, and has also been used to breed a number of other popular plum varieties, including Czar.


Rivers' Early Prolific characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
  • Flowering group2
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climates

Using

  • Picking seasonEarly
  • CroppingHeavy
  • Keeping (of fruit)1-3 days
  • Food usesEating freshCulinary

Problems

  • Disease resistanceAverage

Identification

  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin1800 - 1849
  • Blossom colourWhite
  • Fruit colourBlue - dark

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 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

Victoria is without doubt the supreme English cooking plum, easily identified by its characteristic orange flesh, and the hint of almond flavour it lends to plum jams and patisseries.


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