Looking to add a few E. plumbs. I picked up a Kenmore (NY9). I have a multi grafted (Mt.Royal/Seneca/Victoria) and some green cage grafts already. I’m considering adding some sticks of either empress, valor, castleton or Imperial Epineuse. I value flavor and disease resistance most though I do use a minimal spray practice in my orchard.
If you could only add 2 which would you choose and why?
I’m in zone 5b (NH).
Coes Golden Drop and French Prune. I personally don’t think any of the modern ones hold a candle to the classics. I tried Valor for ten years but am giving up on it, turning it into Coes next spring. Yes it’s large-fruited and productive but the flavor is bland compared to the two I mentioned.
Hi Tim,
The two Europeans that we feel are hard to beat are Stanley and Empress. Very disease resistant, very prolific, self fertile and set fruit reliably year after year. The gages do ok here but do not ripen well in our short growing season
Dennis
Kent wa
My one concern with Coes would be if my season is long enough to ripen it well here. We typically get hard frosts mid October.
I planted 2 EU Plums in 2018.
Rosey Gage and Mt. Royal.
Rosey died… it got small amount of black knot 2 times and I cut that out… then one spring it partially leafed out and then wilted and died.
Mount Royal lives on… and is supposed to be self pollinating… it has bloomed the past two springs… but has not held any fruit to ripen yet.
Last spring I added 2 grafts of green gage to it. They grew well… hope they bloom this spring.
Surly some year… this Mount Royal will produce some fruit.
I have been thinking for about 5 years now… this could be the year.
I dont care much for fruit trees that just take forever to start fruiting.
TNHunter
I think you are fine, @mamuang is in your zone and from my memory has had no problems with it ripening in time. For me it ripened in the earlier part of September.
By the way don’t be fooled by the name “French Prune”. Yes it’s a prune plum, but it is truly excellent fresh or cooked. They ripened the same time as my Valors this year and the flavor comparison was night and day. I almost threw out the Valors but once the French Prunes were all gone I realized they were not bad objectively, just bad relatively.
That’s why I planted so many things if I have a few trees that take longer to fruit I’m ok with it. Also stone fruit don’t typically grow reliably in my area due to late frosts and shorter growing season so I planted a huge variety that way I may get something.
I do have a multi grafted E.plum with Mt. Royal on it that is going into second leaf that I trained the branches fairly horizontally . We will see if that and having pollinating partners help it come into production sooner. I’ll let you know!
Thanks Scott, I will try to find some sticks to graft next spring of Coe’s. For the French prune are you growing the improved variety? Do you like this better than Italian prune plum?
zone doesnt really apply here ,its more about frost dates/GDD. IF hes close to the coast it could be a lot later. Zone just says if they survive the coldest temp
One thing to know about plums is that vertical limbs might be attractive but bear very little, bending them to near horizontal with increase your fruit production
Dennis
Kent Wa
Hi Tim, I have the French Improved. I’m not sure it’s all that different. I grew Fellenberg and it wasn’t as flavorful. But I didn’t have it that long and I was never sure I got them ripe enough.
Zone is a short-hand for similar region. Tippy I would guess is an hours drive from Tim. I could write a little essay each time but its easier to just say “zone”.
I’m probably 1 1/2 hours north of Tippy, but I’d say our climate (regardless of zone) is quite different. Central NH just south of the White Mountains. It’s significantly colder and more variable where I am than central MA or even southern NH. I live on the base of a mountain so we get a lot of wind so desiccation in the winter is a big deal. We didn’t even get daffodils to bloom until end of May early June this year. Which may end up being a saving grace as trees break dormancy late avoiding most of the 30-40 degree swing days in spring.
Very true! I meant to say horizontally not vertically 
I will definitely try grafting some Coes and French improved. I think my wife will kill me if I plant anymore “new” trees haha! Thank you for all the advice!
@TimNH … I have a couple of J Plums (Shiro and AU Rosa) that have 10 other varieties grafted on…
I am trying to find the latest bloomers that will pollinate each other… and will start replacing the early bloomers with the latest bloomers… probably this next spring.
So far Alderman has been the latest bloomer for me.
The last 3 years have been typical for me… they bloom, we get a frost, or they may even set fruit and then we get a frost… and lose all fruit.
My Mt Royal EU Plum starts blooming just as Alderman is finishing… so it is my latest blooming plum… If it would just set and hold fruit I might get plums every now and then.
TNHunter
Have you tasted the Alderman’s yet? I’ve considered growing it as well. I have several varieties of Asian plums, hybrids and Interspecifics growing as well.
Like you my plan is to see which do well and then likely graft over the ones that struggle or just don’t crop. It may be several years to figure that all out. But that’s the fun of growing your own fruit, right?
I’ve researched a ton and planted some, hoping to circumvent black knot, which is vicious here. Kenmore seems resistant. Sadly, my tree blew down in a windstorm a few years ago so I’m relying on memory. Bluebyrd seems immune. I thought President would be OK but this year it is covered with strikes.
@TimNH … I have not tried Alderman plums yet… just added a graft of Alderman to my Shiro a couple years back and it bloomed last spring.
TNHunter
Hopefully this year you get some to bloom set and hold!