Prunus insititia 'Prune Damson' (C)

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damson 'Prune Damson'

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damson 'Prune Damson' RHS
damson 'Prune Damson' Frank P Matthews

Synonyms

Prunus insititia 'Shropshire Damson'
Prunus insititia 'Shropshire Prune'
Prunus domestica 'Shropshire Prune'
Prunus domestica 'Shropshire Damson'

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Fruit Edible
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A vigorous, but neat growing, cultivar that has larger fruits than 'Farleigh Damson'. A regular and good cropper with a picking time of late August. A late flowering cultivar in pollination group 5, so should escape spring frosts. Self-fertile

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
5–10 years
Max Spread
2.5-4 metres
Max Height
2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
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)
H6

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Rosaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
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

Cherries suitable for culinary use have a tart flavour and are best cooked or made into a puree

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in a moist, but well-drained soil in full sun. Keep a weed-free area of at least 60cm radius around trunk. Thin fruit if necessary. Irrigate in dry periods

Propagation

Propagate by chip budding or grafting on rootstock for fruit

Suggested planting locations and garden types

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

Pruning

Regular pruning required for pruning established fans, but pruning plums grown as bushes is not so intensive

Pests

Can suffer from damage by plum aphid, caterpillars, fruit tree glasshouse red spider mite, brown scale, plum moth and bullfinches

Diseases

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