How tall do plum trees get

They are hardy in U. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 8. Clay, loamy or sandy soil with acidic, neutral or alkaline pH is fine with a full or partial sun exposure.

Chickasaw plums vary in their mature height. They can grow in shrub form with a mature height of 4 to 10 feet or in tree form, to a height of 25 feet. Chickasaw plums grow in USDA zones 6 to 9 and grow well in acidic clay, loamy or sandy soil that drains quickly. Full sun is best, but they will grow in partial shade. European plum trees P. Clay, loamy or sandy soil with acidic, neutral or alkaline pH is fine for this tree with a full sun exposure.

It grows best when the soil is kept uniformly moist. The standard height is 15 to 20 feet while the semi-dwarf is 12 to 15 feet tall and the dwarf is 8 to 10 feet tall. They all develop a canopy width similar to their height. They are moderately drought-tolerant once established, but may need additional deep watering in summer heat. Little pruning is needed other than to remove dead or diseased branches, and should be done after flowering.

Prune in mid-summer if silver leaf is a problem. Purple-leaf plum trees are known to be susceptible to a large number of diseases including black knot, leaf spot, die back, leaf curl, powdery mildew , root rot and fireblight. They are also susceptible to pests such as borers, aphids , scale , leafhoppers, caterpillars, tent caterpillars, Japanese beetles , and spider mites. These threats can also contribute to its relatively short life span of 20 years or less.

Fruit drop can be a nuisance with the large amount of small fruit produced. If you're concerned about these issues, a good alternative is 'Forest Pansy', an Eastern redbud with deep purple foliage.

Prunus cerasifera can be quite invasive in specific areas of the country. Even if you are diligent about cleaning up the fruit, birds can spread them by carting away the fruit and then dropping the seeds.

Other animals, such as rats, opposums, raccoons and foxes, do the same thing. To see if the purple leaf plum is invasive in your area check out this map from InvasivePlantAtlas. A precursor to domestic plum and cherry trees, purple-leaf plum trees were named for their fruits before the modern edibles were cultivated. With domestic plums and cherries now readily available, Prunus cerasifera have been classified as an ornamental, although many people still appreciate the fruit they do produce.

The small, dark fruit ripens in late summer surrounded by dark purple leaves, making harvesting a challenge. Flowering plums are more tolerant of drought and poor soil than many other flowering trees. This rounded tree grows 25 feet tall and 25 feet wide. It produces pink and white flowers in early spring. American plum and Chickasaw plum varieties are also used as flowering trees. A number of other plum species exist; many of these are thicket-forming shrub species with thorn-like spurs.

Others are hybrids of tree species. Apricots are closely related to plums and there is more of a continuum of species from plums to apricots rather than distinct differences.

For example, Prunus mume is called both Chinese plum and Japanese apricot. Lynn Doxon has a Ph. By Lynn Doxon.