There are many different types of plum trees that come in a variety of sizes and fruit flavors.   If you are going to plant a plum tree make sure you know your plum types before purchasing the tree, so you end up with exactly what you want.   Some plums are mainly used only for making jelly and jam, baking or cooking.  Some plums are sweet and are great to eat right off of the tree!  


American Hybrid Plums

These types of plum trees are very easy to grow in areas that are usually either too hot or too cold for the other variety of plum trees.   The plum types that these tree produces are usually smaller than the European and Japanese plum types.     Many of these types of plum trees are fairly small and can be pruned to be the size of large bushes.   The Beech Plum is one of the American Hybrids that is most commonly used.


Japanese Plums

The plum types that the Japanese Plum Trees typically produce are usually smaller and juicier than the European plum types.  Japanese plums were brought over to Japan from China originally.   These plum trees do not do too well in cold weather, and the plums are more susceptible to rot.   A few types of plums from Japanese plum trees are the Bungo, Satsuma, and Elephant Heart Japanese Plum.  

The Elephant Heart Japanese plum is a juicy, very sweet, heart shaped plum with dark red skin.    The plums typically ripen sometime in september which is after most other plum trees have ripened and dropped their fruit already.  This plum tree can grow up to 25 feet, and really craves the sun and lots of water.    This type of plum tree will require another plum tree nearby for pollination. 


European Plums

The European plum types are usually larger than the American and Japanese, purple, and sweet.    These plums are not very susceptible to rotting, and will last quite a long time on both the tree and after you've picked them.   A few types of European plum types are the Stanley, Seneca, and French Improved. 

The French Improved type of plum tree can grow up to 25 feet and will produce a deep purple plum that is very sweet tasting.  The fruit of this tree is usally oval and will ripen sometime in the later summer.    The French Improved plum tree will not require any other plum trees nearby for pollination, and will usually produce fruit within 3 to 5 years.    This type of plum tree loves the sun and can grow in a variety of soil types.


Plums are a great treat in a variety of forms.   These small trees mentioned above will produce fruit that can be baked into delicious plum pies, dried as prunes, made into a variety of jellies and causes, or just eaten right off of the tree!    The plum trees are a great fruit tree to plant aroud in your yard, and along with producing delicous plums, they will develop beautiful flowers in the spring time.

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