Best very small plum tree tree to buy

[Karen Atkinson]

 Am in the NE of England. Need to buy a sweet plum tree that s small (dont want to do fan or espalier). Any idea which type I should be? It d be in semi shade.

[Karen Atkinson]

[goodlife]

You will need tree that is crafted into Pixy rootstock to keep it smallish size..but even then some pruning is required to keep the size down. What kind of space have you got?
Plums like all the stone fruits don't like heavy pruning so make sure you have enough space for mature tree that can grow 10-12 ft tall and almost as wide..even with Pixy rootstock.
My favourite plum is Herman..it is early plum ripening in July and it is very sweet with loose stone.
There is many varieties of plums around, so you just have to do bit of reading and pick what sounds good to you.
If you look for fruit tree nurseries on internet..you will be spoiled for choise.. ;)

[artichoke]

I like Opal on a semi-dwarfing root stock (St Julian A). I got one for my daughter and in its second year the fruit was so heavy that some branches broke. This is not ideal, of course! but shows how prolific it is, and the plums are delicious.

[goodlife]

I like Opal on a semi-dwarfing root stock (St Julian A). I got one for my daughter and in its second year the fruit was so heavy that some branches broke. This is not ideal, of course! but shows how prolific it is, and the plums are delicious.

Yes..good one..and another one I've got too..ripening after the Herman. Taste is lovely..not quite as sugary as Herman but has more 'plummy' flavour.
Good thing with the earlier varieties is that they tend to escape wasps attention who get interested sugary fruit later on the summer/autumn. Victoria being much later often gets nibbled by them.

[Melbourne12]

But the problem with earlies is that in colder parts of the country the earlier blossom is susceptible to frost.

I know they're old-fashioned, but you have to go a long way to beat Victoria and Marjorie's Seedling.  And they're both a bit hardier than average.

The latest dwarfing stock is called VVA1, apparently.

[shirlton]

We had an Opal at the last allotment but it was too big to move when we left. As soon as the time was right we bought another. Lovely plum

[goodlife]

But the problem with earlies is that in colder parts of the country the earlier blossom is susceptible to frost.
I

Sorry for being pain in a a**..but what you mentioned got me thinking... ::) and I checked flowering times on brogdale collection..between Herman (late July ripening) and Victoria (September ripening) there is only 4 days difference when majority of the blossom is open.
That surprised me..majority of the plums flower  2-3weeks apart..but ripening times can be couple of months apart.

[Melbourne12]

But the problem with earlies is that in colder parts of the country the earlier blossom is susceptible to frost.
I

Sorry for being pain in a a**..but what you mentioned got me thinking... ::) and I checked flowering times on brogdale collection..between Herman (late July ripening) and Victoria (September ripening) there is only 4 days difference when majority of the blossom is open.
That surprised me..majority of the plums flower  2-3weeks apart..but ripening times can be couple of months apart.

That's interesting - I didn't know that.  Sounds as though late flowering/short ripening would be the ideal combination.