European Plum – Prunus domestica (Bare Rooted)

Description

European Plum, Prunus domestica. There must be many millions of these small trees in the UK. Until landowners and farmers were encouraged to let hedges grow out, a change from the original practice of cutting hedges every year, these trees lay hidden never showing the wild fruit that they could produce. Now they can be seen everywhere where tall hedges grow. The best time to look for them is really late summer when the fruit becomes visible. The fruit colours, when ripe, range from a dark blue with a purple sheen to green, orange, and sometimes nearly red. The taste varies from very sweet and succulent to slightly bitter and drier flesh. After picking them I like to simmer the fruit gently in a drop of water then freeze them for later use in the winter. The tree is a must in any new hedge row planting but it can be grown as an individual tree in medium to large gardens. All wild life love them from the bees pollinating the white blossom to the birds and mammals feeding on the fruit. The tree will grow well in most soil, it can reach about twenty five feet high, but if required it can be kept smaller by pruning.