In my quest for plums and stonefruits that avoid frosts, I ran acros this note from St Lawrence nursery about their cherry plums: Cherry-plums resulted from crosses made in the early 1900s between Prunus besseyi (sand cherry) and various plums. Plant breeders wanted to produce a fruit hardy enough to withstand the severe winters of the northern Great Plains. Even if you can’t grow plums or cherries due to late frosts or extreme winters, you may be able to grow cherry-plums. They grow as small trees; about 6-8 feet high at maturity, and are hardier and more resistant to drought and late Spring frosts than any of the plums or cherries we sell. Cherry-plums yield a small, plum-like fruit that is wonderful for fresh eating. Their lifespan is 10-15 years. Cross-pollination is needed, so plant more than one variety. They may also be pollinated by Native American Plum seedlings, or any of the A group grafted plums. Cherry-plums should be spaced 4-8 feet. "
Does anyone have experience with this cultivar? Is it worth growing? Does it really avoid frosts?
Hi Robert,
I do not have this variant but a volunteer unknown variety that has more elongated fruits than Compass. I can say that it’s my earliest to blossom and holds flower much longer than all others, about 40 days, thus it’s my most reliable pollinator. Its fruit is not exceptionally good and for some reason is more susceptible to insects than all others. But it’s always full of fruit, very prolific. I would think Compass would live up to the Nursery’s claim.
Dennis
Kent, wa
I have “Compass” amongst other besseyi hybrids, have had them for decades. In my eastern KS climate they are the most reliable fruiting prunus, I can’t remember if they have ever not cropped. For me, they all open blossoms about 2 weeks after the asian-american-myrobalan complex do. The blooms even seem more frost hardy and the fruit crop rarely has any plum curculio. They need heat and full sun to sweeten up, astringent skin until they hang so long the skin wrinkles-thats when they’re best. Great preserves, no aroma, pulpy flesh, not overwhelming in flavor. Have friends who like them, others who don’t.
Interesting, that sounds similar to my wild American plums, except by the time you get one that isnt astringent it is fermented a bit. It takes about 20 tries to get one of those that are good eating.
It looks like sapalta is the best of the cherry plums. I will be looking for some scions to trial this year. Any stone fruit that can avoid frost is a major win for me at the moment.
So these besseyi hybrids Compass etc seem to be late bloom, and drought hardy? That sounds like what i need to plant. Is that Western Sand Cherry hybrids? I have a Western Sand Cherry bush, it has survived for years on a dry sand hill with no water or care.
How does their drought hardiness, and spring frosts/bloom time compare to the Saskatchewan Romance cherries/Carmine Jewel etc/hybrids with Mongolian cherry in them i believe?
And any comparrison to Surefire or Jubileum? Or more common pie cherries like Montmorrency?
With our central/west kansas drought being so severe, and now entering its 3rd year, I am really looking at stuff that might can grow in a dry sand desert with horrible spring late freeze issues!
Or else time to move to east KS! Somethings gotta change!!!
Thanks!
This year was strange, they actually bloomed earlier than the jap hybrids but still after the plumcot types. I had read somewhere that besseyi and it’s hybrids have chill hours but also heat units needed to break dormancy, we had temps hit the 80’s in Feb. That heat then later freezes seems to have killed my 20 year old “Emerald Drop” and most of my “Emerald Beaut”. Besseyi hybrid blooms seem to resist frost better and still set fruit, mine prefer no watering, don’t like wet feet in clayish soil. Full sun and air movement keeps monilia away. Growth habit is similar to fruticosa cherry, those prairie cherries need more water.
My jujubes LOVE heat and drought, Cliff England recommended which ones do well with humidity levels. Also seaberry should do well for you, and goumi?
Thanks for your feedback! I will have to be looking for some of these besseyi hybrids.
I have lots of jujube and am adding types of sour cherry and U of SK cherries, i have Surefire and Kansas Sweet and some others. So far, its hard to beat how great my Jubileum cherry is doing, it might be the best cherry so i ordered Sweet Thing which is a U of S hybrid of Jubileum and Carmine Jewel, but all of my sweet cherries totally died in the heat and drought in spite of drip irrigation. 2022 only got about 8 inches, and 2023 was probably no better, but the heat finished them off. So far, early in 2024 we might have got an inch, but less than 1/5" the last 1.5 months it is so dry everything that doesnt get watered is struggling, this is getting unbelievable i didnt know this climate could be so harsh for so long!
Some things that i am surprised are doing as good as they are, is apple and persimmon, i guess their deep tap roots help a lot once semi-established! My jujubes have not performed quite so well, but decent…, the peaches have struggled more, so far.
All of the sweet cherries I’ve tried have leafed out too early and had problems with my clay soil. I thought the duke types might do better but “Kansas Sweet” died in 4 years, could be due to unknown rootstock. Prairie cherries seem indifferent to the climate, too bad the whole series wasn’t released in USA.
I’ve had lots of ornamental plants die of extended heat stress, sourwood, mountain laurel, carolina silver bell, fragrant epaulette, styrax, cherry laurel, ozmanthus, etc. Do well for years then an extended heat-wave slaughters them. Oh well…
Thanks for sharing!! I guess we just keep testing, and gravitate to what does best!
If St Lawrence nursery still had some of those Compass and other besseyi hybrids, id be tempted to order a pair!!
I ordered more of the prairie cherries newer to the US, at honeyberryUSA to try, Sweet Thing cherry sounds very promising since it is a cross of two that are proven to survive kansas heat/drought, and are late bloom, Carmine Jewel x Jubileum.
I am not sure yet how Kansas Sweet will fare, but since its a sweet×sour hybrid i am hoping it proves good. I have a young one on Mazzard, and another limb grafted to my Jubileum. I planted out several Mahaleb rootstocks and hope to graft out a few to Jubileum next spring, i think Jubileum is a great one to put effort in!
I read the release on “Sweet Thing” from U of S, thanks for the heads-up. If I had limited room for cherries I’d do “Surefire” late bloomer, English Morello and “Sweet Thing”.
Sounds like Bob Bors fixed the things I didn’t like about most prairie cherries.
