Prunus domestica 'Violetta' (D)

RHS Plant Profile
plum 'Violetta'

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A very productive, self-fertile, dessert plum on a relativley compact tree, producing white blossom in early spring then a good crop of dark blue-purple, oval fruit with sweet, yellow flesh, in late summer. Will produce higher yields if planted with a pollination partner

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
10–20 years
Max Height
2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Rosaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy, Spreading branched
Genus
Prunus can be deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs with showy flowers in spring, and often good autumn foliage colour. Some have edible fruit in autumn, and a few species have ornamental bark
Name Status
Accepted
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea

The fruit are generally sweet and can be eaten fresh as well as used for cooking and baking or preserving

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in full sun in a sheltered position in moist, but well-drained soil, ideally with a pH of 6 to 6.5. Irrigate in dry periods. fruit thinning may be required. See plum cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by Chip budding or grafting. Trees grown from stones will not resemble the parent

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Wildlife gardens
  • Edible fruit
  • Wall side borders

Pruning

Regular pruning required according to tree form; see Pruning plums or pruning established fans

Pests

May be susceptible to plum aphid, caterpillars, fruit tree red spider mite, brown scale, plum moth and damage by wasps and birds

Diseases

May be susceptible to silver leaf, bacterial canker, blossom wilt, pocket plum and brown rot