Hardy Hybrid Plums

Plum trees are a delightful addition to a Montana landscape. Not only are they coveted for their desirable, sweet fruit, they are also highly ornamental. Their beautiful white spring flowers are profuse and appear before the leaves.

Some of the best and hardiest plums for our area are the Japanese-American hybrids, developed from crosses between the large fruited Japanese plum and the native, cold hardy American. Varieties include 'BlackIce', 'Toka', 'Waneta', and 'Pembina', all of which have sweet, red or purple fruit.

For better fruit production these trees must be cross-pollinated, which is to say they need a different variety of plum planted nearby so that pollen can be carried by honeybees from one tree to another. The best pollinators for us are 'Toka' and 'American', but other varieties work as well. So make sure you save space for at least two plum trees - we promise you won't regret it!

If however you have limited space, try 'Mount Royal' - it's self-fertile, so doesn't need a pollinator. This is a European, as opposed to Japanese-American, plum. It has delicious blue fruit and is a heavy producer.