Prunus cerasifera
Red Plum
Common names: Cherry Plum
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Hardiness
- Hardy
- Pruning
- Jul–Aug
- Flowering
- Apr
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The Prunus cerasifera, commonly known as the red plum or cherry plum, is a summer‑green shrub or small tree that displays dark‑red to purplish foliage throughout the summer, adding color to the garden. Early in the season, often before leaf emergence, delicate pink flowers appear from early to mid‑April, attracting bees and bumblebees. The ‘Nigra’ cultivar is especially valued for its robust ornamental foliage, featuring almost black‑red leaves, and is often planted as a solitary specimen or in hedges. Small, edible stone fruits ripen in late summer, but in many ornamental forms they are inconspicuous and sparse. As with all plums and cherries, only the ripe flesh is edible; leaves, bark, and the kernels inside the stones contain cyanogenic compounds and are toxic, so they should not be consumed and care should be taken in gardens with children.
Care instructions
Plant the red plum in a sunny to partially shaded spot with well‑drained, nutrient‑rich soil, preferably in autumn or early spring. Water regularly during the first two years after planting; thereafter the shrub tolerates normal rainfall and is drought‑tolerant. A lightening cut after flowering, roughly late April to mid‑May, maintains a tidy canopy shape and encourages dense, color‑intense new growth. Apply a mulch layer of compost or leaf litter in spring to supply nutrients and retain soil moisture. For heavy aphid infestations, beneficial insects such as ladybirds and a strong water spray can help; the problem often resolves itself in a typical garden setting.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
FloweringApr
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
well-drained, loamy, nutrient-rich
The cherry plum likes free-draining, loamy soil with a good supply of nutrients. It tolerates waterlogging poorly, which quickly leads to root rot. A sunny to full-sun site produces the strongest leaf colour and the most abundant blossom. It tolerates lime in the soil without difficulty.
Feeding
Medium feeder
Months
Mar, May
In early spring the cherry plum appreciates a dose of mature compost, worked shallowly into the root zone. A second, lighter dose of compost in May supports leaf growth. This robust ornamental tree needs no more, because too much nitrogen comes at the expense of the lovely autumn colour.
Pruning
Like all stone fruit trees, prune the cherry plum after flowering in summer, never in winter, otherwise there is a risk of infection through the cuts. In the first few years, form an airy crown with a clear arrangement of main branches. Later an occasional thinning cut is enough to remove shoots that are too crowded or crossing.
Overwintering
The cherry plum is quite hardy in Central Europe and needs no special protection as a mature tree. Young, freshly planted specimens benefit from a layer of mulch over the root area in their first winter. A bright, sheltered spot spares you frost cracks in the bark in cold, sunny winters.
Propagation
Methods
- Grafting
- Cuttings
True-to-type cherry plums are usually grafted onto a robust rootstock, which secures the growth habit and the characteristic red leaf colour. In the home garden, propagation from semi-hardwood cuttings in summer also works, although with a lower success rate. Take cuttings in the morning, when the shoots are plump with water, and keep them evenly moist afterwards. Seedlings grown from stones mostly revert to the green-leaved wild form and do not reliably pass on the red colouring.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
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For your garden
Grow Red Plum yourself
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