American Plum Tree

American Plum Tree: Spring Flowers and Summer Fruit

The American plum (Prunus americana) is a fruit tree native to North America. In spring/early summer, it fills with fragrant white flowers, and by summer it gives you plenty of juicy fruit to pick. It can be planted to create a windbreak, hedge, or living privacy screen. If you're considering American plum for landscaping, it also fits well in a home orchard or edible garden.

Each American plum tree for sale here is a young whip, a slender stem with few side branches, 1 to 2, 2 to 3, or 3 to 4 feet tall. This plant ships bare root. Buying an American plum tree online gets you a young, dormant tree with its roots wrapped in damp packing, ready to grow into a flowering tree. Our plum tree guide explains how to get it in the ground.

Give it time. The first summer it puts out only a few leaves, and blossoms and plums usually follow in the third to fifth year. Left to grow, it fills out to 15 to 25 feet tall with a crown about as wide. Compared with most fruit trees, its plums are small, but a mature tree carries a lot of them.

• Botanical name: Prunus americana, multi-trunked deciduous fruit tree
• Width at maturity: 15 to 25 feet, rounded and spreading
• Fruit: red to dark reddish-purple plums about 1 inch across
• Pollination: needs a second American plum nearby
• Best uses: windbreak, hedge, espalier, home orchard
• Things to know: spreads by suckers; most trees live 20 to 40 years
• What ships: 1 to 4 feet tall, bare root
  

Before You Order an American Plum Tree for Sale: You’ll Need Two

The flowers on one American plum need pollen from another to make fruit, so plant at least two within about 50 feet of each other. When you purchase an American plum tree, our Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer gives you that pair in one order. For a hedgerow or windbreak, buy 5 or more and space them 8 to 10 feet apart so they grow together into a thicket.

Where and How to Plant

Choose an open, sunny spot, because the more sun it gets, the more fruit it sets. If you're buying an American plum tree for planting near the house, keep it at least 15 feet away to leave room for its spreading crown. Plant in early spring or in fall, while the tree is leafless.

The American plum is a multi-trunked deciduous tree, which means it grows several main stems and drops its leaves each winter. It also sends up suckers (new shoots from the roots) and will slowly form a thicket if you let it, so mow or pull them in a lawn. Most trees live 20 to 40 years.

Small Spaces, Seasonal Interest, and Companions

If you want a shorter tree, train it as an espalier, which means pruning it flat against a fence or wall so the fruit stays within easy reach. That makes it a good choice for a small yard. The plums are red to dark reddish-purple and about an inch across, with tart skin and sweet flesh that's good fresh or in jam. The leaves have finely toothed edges, and the bark is dark.

American plum is a keystone species, meaning many kinds of wildlife depend on it for food and shelter. It is a host plant for the red-spotted purple butterfly, and birds and small mammals eat the fallen fruit. Plant it with elderberry, chokeberry, and serviceberry for a mixed fruiting hedge, or tuck daffodils underneath for early color.

Planting & Growing Information

Ships: Ships Between November 15-29
Planting Zone: 3-8
Height at Maturity: 15-25 Feet
Water Needs: Low
Sun or Shade: Full sun
Bloom Season: Spring/Early Summer
Care: Wild Plum Trees thrive in well-drained soil and benefit from regular watering, especially during dry periods. They should be trimmed annually to clear dead or diseased wood and shape the tree. Fertilize in early spring for best growth and fruit production.
Exposure: The Wild Plum Tree thrives best in full sun. It requires at least 6 hours of direct daylight daily to guarantee healthy growth and abundant fruit production. In shadier conditions, its growth and fruit yield may be reduced.
Plant Attributes: Captivating beauty & abundant fruit production, easy cultivation & wildlife habitat, medicinal uses & ornamental value