They are hardy to USDA Zones 3 or 4 depending on the cultivar. American Plums (bush plums)Īmerican plums (Prunus americana) are less common in the marketplace, but are a viable option for the home garden, especially for colder areas of the state.

Recommended Japanese plum cultivars include ‘Satsuma’, ‘Santa Rosa’ and ‘Shiro’.

Plant near another Japanese or American cultivar to pollinize, as European Plum pollen is not compatible with Japanese plums. Japanese plums are grown in USDA Zones 5 to 9. Japanese plums are primarily consumed as a fresh fruit but they can successfully be processed as jam, jelly or fruit leather. The plums are round and skin color can range from yellow to red with some being almost black. They produce fruit that is juicy and fairly large. Many cultivars on the market today are Japanese-American hybrids. Japanese plum trees (Prunus salicina) are more rounded and spreading than European plums. Good plum-type cultivars include ‘Damson’, ‘Green Gage’, and ‘Seneca’.

Possible pollinizers include almost any other European plum including ‘Stanley’, ‘Italian’, and ‘Green Gage’. Some common European prune-type cultivars include ‘Early Italian’, ‘Improved French’, and ‘Stanley’. Many European plums are self-fruitful, but are more productive with a cross pollinizer. European plums are grown in USDA Zone 5 to 8. Ornamental purple-leaf plum such as the cultivar ‘Newport’, are common in home landscapes and periodically produce fruit that can be processed. Fresh-eating cultivars are much juicier than prune-types and are more rounded with red or yellow flesh (Olcott-Reid and Reid, 2007). These types are usually dried before being eaten and not consumed fresh. Prune-type plums have oval shaped fruit, blue or purple skin, and yellow flesh. Prunes are a type of European plum with a higher sugar content, which makes the fruit more suitable for drying. Species and Cultivars European PlumsĮuropean plum (Prunus domestica) trees are upright and somewhat vaseshaped. The following provides useful information concerning care and selection of plants the home gardener should consider. Before planting in the home orchard, planning helps ensure success. These species vary in where they are successfully grown and for what the fruit will be used for.

Three types of plum are commonly grown in Utah: European, Japanese and American species.

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