Plum (Prunus spp.)
Exposure: Full sun. Zone 5
Soil: Well-drained garden soil
Growth habits: See below.
Landscape uses: Use plums as a home orchard tree or as a small, spreading tree in mixed shrub borders.
Edible/Medicinal properties: See below.
Available Varieties
'American Plum' (Prunus Americana) – Native plum seedlings growing to 12’. Fruit is succulent and juicy but has a tough skin. It is best cooked. A tea made from the scraped inner bark is used as a wash to treat various skin problems and as a mouth wash to treat sores. A poultice of the inner bark is disinfectant and is used as a treatment on cuts and wounds.
'Bounty' (Prunus Nigra) – The medium to large dark-red fruit has an orange-yellow flesh and is tender, sweet and juicy - the quality is fair for dessert and good for canning; it ripens in late August. An upright spreading tree, it is very hardy and productive. It originated in Manitoba, Canada. Thrives in loamy soils and does well in dappled shade, but sunny positions maximize fruit yield. Need two seedlings for cross pollination.
Also see Chickasaw Plum.