Best types of plum trees – 12 varieties to grow for a fruitful harvest

If you want your best ever fall harvest, get to know the various types of plum trees to grow in your garden. You can't beat them for a delicious late summer sweet treat, and once they get going, they're super producers.

Laden baskets of ripe fruit are the dream if you're keen on growing your own produce. Learn how to grow plums, and you'll be rewarded with exactly that, whether you like them picked fresh from the tree or prefer to use them in delicious cakes and crumbles. Damsons, a smaller fruit with dark blue skin that's often juicy, but tends not to be eaten raw as they can be a little tart, are also part of the family. And greengages, a small fruit with greenish-yellow skin and flesh and a sweet, honeyed flavor, are too.

When choosing a plum tree to grow in your garden, you'll want to know which are best for eating and which are better if you want to use them for cooking. We've chosen the best types of plum trees to grow that tick all the boxes, from older varieties to newer ones, and even those that are easy for growing a plum tree from a plum, so you can narrow down your selection.

12 types of plum trees to grow in your yard

Plums, greengages and damsons all make valuable additions to a kitchen garden. Here, we take a look at some of the most reliable, prolific and tastiest varieties to grow alongside your other fruit trees.

1. Plum 'Coe's Golden Drop'

US hardiness zone: zone 3 to zone 8.

Considered one of the tastiest English plums to grow, this traditional golden fruiter can be eaten fresh and used for cooking.

It has a soft, rich flavor reminiscent of a greengage, plus the distinctive tangy sharpness of more vibrant plum breeds. This intriguing blend probably has something to do with its origins, being produced from a gage pollinated by an old French plum called 'White Magnum Bonum'.

It should be ready to harvest from mid-fall, and reaches heights of up to 13.ft.

2. Plum 'Mirabelle de Nancy'

US hardiness zone: zone 5 to zone 9.

These pretty pink and gold fruits, known as cherry plums, can look like oversized cherries. Also known as Mirabelle prunes, these delectable European heirloom plums are heavy cropping and deliver a high sugar content so they're delightful in jams, jellies and brandies. But, they can also be enjoyed fresh from the tree, which will grow up to 13ft in your garden.

Other Mirabelles include 'Plum de Metz', 'Golden Sphere' and 'Ruby'. Don't forget to prune plum trees in their growing season, before harvesting the fruit of Mirabelles from late July.

3. Damson 'Farleigh'

US hardiness zone: zone 5 to zone 8.

This hardy damson (also known as 'Farleigh Prolific') dates back to the early 1800s, and has a reputation for being a fabulously prolific cropper.

A popular choice for jams, pies and wines, these fruits are almost black in color. What's more, 'Farleigh' damsons are very resistant to silver leaf disease.

It's recommended to invest in one with a 'St Julien A' rootstock to guarantee the best returns. You can also get a damson tree to fruit by protecting it from frost in winter.

Harvest the fruit from mid-September. The tree will grow up to 13.ft in height.

4. Greengage 'Reine Claude Verte'

US hardiness zone: zone 5 to zone 8.

Heavy-cropping, reliable and divinely juicy, this old-fashioned sweetie is a vigorous grower. Potent and aromatic, this particular French specialty is lovely eaten fresh or cooked up in pies and jams, and has a sublime depth of flavor.

Known for its distinctively greeny-golden hue and oval shape, this fully hardy greengage will tolerate most soil types, except very chalky ones

'It needs another European plum for pollination, and it also won’t tolerate bad drainage,' advises Valeria Nyman, fruit growing expert at Taim.io. Try pairing it with 'Brooks' plum tree from Nature Hills.

Harvest the fruit from mid-August or early September. The trees are a little taller than some other types, reaching an eventual height of up to 16.4ft.

Valeria Nyman

Valeria is the Chief Product Officer at Taim.io, an innovative platform that serves as a personal, adaptive gardening coach, offering tailored weekly advice to users. As a Product Designer and strategic leader, Valeria bridges the gap between business vision and user-centered design, crafting intuitive experiences that drive both engagement and satisfaction.

5. Greengage 'Oullins Golden Gage'

US hardiness zone: zone 5 to zone 8.

Fragrant, large and pleasantly plump, this golden greengage dates back to the mid-1800s in Lyons and is widely known as an excellent choice for the fruit tree aficionado.

While gages tend to need more warmth than damsons to attain the desired levels of sweetness, this gage can adapt to cooler climates.

The fruits, ready from mid-August, are ideal for both dessert and culinary uses. They may be less juicy than some, but this makes them better for freezing.

The tree's eventual height can reach almost 15ft, and you can find a greengage at Lowe's.

6. Damson 'Prune Damson' 

US hardiness zone: zone 5 to zone 7.

Also known as 'Shropshire Damson' or 'Shropshire Prune', this luminescent purple beauty is vigorous and neat growing.

Deliciously intense as a jelly or jam or dried for prunes and also amazing in savory dishes, this old English variety (which dates back to the 1670s) is unfussy and manages well in damp soils and cooler climates.

The trees, which grow up to around 13ft tall, also produce pretty spring blossoms, so they're one to consider if you're looking for flowering trees to add to your plot. You can harvest the fruit from September.

Shop for a damson plum tree at Nature Hills.

7. Plum 'Victoria'

US hardiness zone: zone 4 to zone 9.

One of the best-known types of plum trees, this popular variety has heavy, regular crops. The pink, medium-sized fruits are ready in late summer. This variety is self-fertile and does not require a pollination partner.

'As it is such a heavy cropper, it can be beneficial to thin the fruits in their early stages if it looks like a big crop,' advises Drew Swainston, qualified gardener and gardens content editor at Homes & Gardens. 'This helps to reduce the weight and avoid any broken branches,' he explains.

You can do this by removing some of the fruits by hand. If you do come across any broken branches, use essential pruning tools - like these loppers from Amazon - to remove them.

If you want to cook with them, they're good for making jam and pies, and they're also nice to eat straight from the tree in late August. They reach an ultimate height of around 15ft.

A Japanese plum with a similar appearance to 'Victoria' is the 'Methley' plum tree - available at Nature Hills.

Drew Swainston

Drew qualified as a journalist and wrote for many websites and publications, before studying for a horticulture qualification. He worked as a professional gardener for several years, specializing in kitchen gardening. He's now bringing his expertise and passion to Homes & Gardens as a member of our team. 

8. Plum 'Laxton's Delight'

US hardiness zone: zone 4 to zone 8.

This dessert plum has a delicious flavor and the plentiful, large, yellow fruits are ready to eat in late summer.

It is partially self-fertile, so will set some fruit by itself. Having another same or different plum variety with the same or adjacent pollination group nearby will help with cropping.

This variety grows between 8-13ft tall. Keep it in top condition by learning how to prune plum trees.

'Howard Miracle' plum tree (at Nature Hills) is another unique yellow plum to consider.

9. Plum 'Avalon'

US hardiness zone: zone 5 to zone 8.

A newer variety, 'Avalon' is one of the finest dessert plums, producing large, oval-shaped, golden-red flushed fruits. Moderately juicy, fairly sweet and with a good flavor, these are best eaten straight from the tree.

The fruits also make a delicious jam and bake well into puddings when they're slightly under-ripe. What's more, 'Avalon' is a strong growing tree with beautiful clusters of white blossoms during spring. It grows to an eventual height of 8-13ft.

10. Plum 'Pershore'

US hardiness zone: zone 5 to zone 9.

'Pershore', also known as the 'Yellow Egg Plum', is one of the best types of plum trees to grow if you're looking for a traditional, old-fashioned cooking variety. The heavy and reliable crops of large fruits have a sweet and delicious flavor.

Perfect for cooking in desserts as well as an ideal plum for bottling, they're also tasty when fully ripe and picked and eaten straight from the tree.

An easy grower, it has good disease resistance and is very hardy, which makes it an ideal choice for beginners. It grows to an eventual height between 8–13ft.

Our round-up of easiest vegetables to grow has more top picks if you'd like to expand your garden's harvest for minimum effort.

11. Plum ‘Santa Rosa’

US hardiness zone: zone 5 to zone 9.

'Santa Rosa' is a bright variety that adds plenty of color to the summer garden. It provides an abundant harvest, ready to pick in June and July.

'If I could grow only one plum, this might be it,' says Valeria Nyman. 'Developed by Luther Burbank, it’s got the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.

'I think the key with ‘Santa Rosa’ is thinning the fruit. If you let it keep every tiny plum, you’ll get hundreds of mediocre ones instead of a few dozen perfect ones,' she advises.

These plum trees can grow up to an ultimate height of 20ft tall, so it may not be the best choice of fruit tree for small gardens.

You can find a 'Santa Rosa' plum tree at FastGrowingTrees.

12. Plum 'Opal'

US hardiness zone: zone 4 to zone 9.

This dessert variety is one of the best types of plum trees to try as it's so reliable. It's very hardy and produces heavy crops on trees that grow vigorously. For best results grow with another variety.

The small, purple fruits have a good flavor and are ready to harvest in late summer. The golden flesh easily separates from the stone, which means it's ideal for cooking too.

The trees reach an ultimate height of around 15ft, making it another variety to consider for bigger spaces.

FAQs

Which plum trees can grow in pots?

There are a few plum trees that work well as fruit trees to grow in pots. In particular, compact varieties like 'Blue Tit', 'Opal', or 'Victoria,' are good choices. There are also some dwarf varieties of other popular types of plum trees, including 'Jubilee dwarf' and 'Kirkes blue dwarf.'

If you're struggling to get your plum tree to fruit, keep in mind the majority of these varieties will only start fruiting between the ages three and six. You likewise might choose to fertilize fruit trees with this fruit tree booster from Amazon to aid fruit production.