Plum - Sugar Plum

Common Name:
Sugar Plum

Description:
The Sugar Plum (Prunus domestica 'Sugar Plum') is a delicious European-style plum variety, prized for its small to medium-sized, oval-shaped fruit with deep purple skin and exceptionally sweet, golden-yellow flesh. This late-season variety is perfect for fresh eating, drying into prunes, making jams, and baking. The fruit develops an intense sweetness as it ripens on the tree, making it a favourite among home gardeners. The tree is a vigorous grower with an upright, spreading habit and produces fragrant white blossoms in early spring, attracting bees and other pollinators. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, requiring moderate winter chill for optimal fruiting. While partially self-fertile, it benefits from cross-pollination with other European plum varieties for improved yields.

Form:

• Tree - Small
• Tree - Medium

Mature Size:

• Height: 3–5m (can be pruned smaller)
• Width: 3–4m

Aspect:

• Full Sun

Flowering:

• Flowers in Early Spring

Flower Colour:

• White

Key Attributes:

• Edible Fruit
• Partially Self-Pollinating (benefits from a pollinator)
• Suitable for Espalier
• Suitable for Pots (when grown as a dwarf variety)
• Bee Attracting
• Heavy Fruiting Variety
• Excellent for Fresh Eating and Drying (Prunes)

Toxicity:

• Leaves, seeds, and pits contain cyanogenic compounds and should not be consumed

Companion Plants:

• Other European plum varieties (Damson, Greengage, Angelina) for cross-pollination
• Peaches and nectarines (similar growing conditions)
• Lavender (attracts pollinators)
• Borage (improves fruit set)
• Marigolds (helps deter pests)