Cherry Plum/ Myrobalan (Prunus cerasifera)

Our range of Cherry plum bare root plants (Prunus cerasifera)

Cherry plum plants grows fast from seed so we have several sizes available all bare root seedlings (or whips) which were planted from seed in spring and are sold during the following November to April winter months.  All these plants are grown by us in Herefordshire.

In addition we have cell grown Cherry Plum which are grown by one of the UK's best specialist growers and these are ideal for woodland creation sites and these plants are available all year round.

All our cherry plum plants are suitable as hedging plants or can be allowed to grow as full size trees.

You can read more about the specifications we offer on the tab just below the pricing table - to the right of this product description.

Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifera) Summary

A hugely useful tree or hedging plant due to it's exceptionally early flowering, which makes it a lifesaving provider of early pollen and in addition this species has many other useful attributes - it produces fruits, is good in most soils and exposed or sheltered sites, in sun or partial shade, and makes a good windbreak as well as a tree (if allowed to grow) or hedging plant particularly in mixed native hedgerows and it lays well.   It has a somewhat untidy habit when mature, great for nesting birds and hedgerows and occasional spines.

Leaves, flowers, fruits and bark

The leaves of Cherry plum are slender oval in shape, 3-6cm long, with a pointed tip and fine serrations along the edges and are downy on the underside.

The flowers burst open very early, often in February (before Blackthorn). They are white to very pale pink, about 2cm in size, with 5 petals and a lot of stamens.

The plum fruits (drupes) ripen during late summer and are small, edible though quite tart (ok for jam f you can get to them before the birds) and are yellow with red blush colour  – great for birds (especially blackbirds and song thrushes) and small mammals.

The young stems are green and downy.  Bark is grey and fissures when mature.

Soil and Situation

Cherry plum is a hardy species, good in most well drained soils, with a preference for lighter soils but will grow in clay.   It will grow well in full sun or partial shade.  It's good in exposed sites as well as sheltered ones.  Generally, it's not a fussy plant as long as there is decent drainage.

Eventual height and growth rate

A small tree reaching up to 8m if grown as a tree but is most often found as hedging plant or windbreak.

This section gives definitions on the specifications of plants that we sell.  We are specialists in field grown (or bare root) plants which are grown in two ways.  The majority are grown from seed, some are ready within one growing season (seedlings or 1+0's) and some species require two growing seasons (1u1's).  In addition to growing from seed we also grow from small plants or cuttings (transplants) which are much more widely spaced (taking more land, more irrigation water, fertilisers and labour).  There are only a handful of bare root wholesale nurseries in the UK and of those even fewer grow transplants but Ray Jenkins has many years' experience of transplanting so we grow these in large volumes.  Ray has written this blog about the benefits of bare root plants and how they are grown and another blog which gives further detail on bare root specifications.

The detailed specifications are shown below.  If you are in doubt about what specification to use please email us on enquiries@rjtreesandhedging.co.uk with a description of the project (and photos if appropriate) and we will advise you.

1+0 - field grown in one season from seed, known as a seedling (sometimes called a whip), generally a slender single stem plant.   These are the cheapest specification and are particularly suitable for planting where weed competition will be less intense, soil is shallow or on exposed windy sites.  Gives a high root to shoot ratio and minimal plant "check".

2+0 - a 2 year seedling, field grown from seed in the same seed bed in two growing seasons where the species cannot be grown to a saleable plant from seed in one season

1U1 - 2 year old plant called an undercut, field grown for two seasons in the same seed bed and undercut by machine (a sharp blade cutting the roots under the soil level) after the first year to develop the root structure. We do this with several species which take 2 years to develop (eg oak, beech, hornbeam)

1+1 - 2 year old plant (transplant) grown from seed in the first year and then transplanted into a different area of the field and spaced out for the second growing season - a robust plant with a larger and more robust root system than seedling or undercut plant which will enable it to better withstand drought and weed competition. Often the best choice and the staple norm for farm hedging and this specification is a requirement of the Countryside Stewardship Grant

1+2- a 3 year old plant, two years field growing in the seedbed and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further two growing seasons giving a tall, stocky, bushy plant

2+1- a 3 year old plant, two years field growing in the seedbed and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further growing season, giving a strong bushy plant

3+1 - as above but field grown for a further growing season for more height and a very bushy plant

1+3- 4 year old, one year field growing in the seed beds and then transplanted (and spaced out) for three years, giving a very strong, bushy plant

2+2- 4 year old, two years field growing in the seed beds and then transplanted (and spaced out) for a further two years - a very mature plant suited to certain species like beech and hornbeam where we can offer almost instant hedging

and some that are a bit different.....

P9 - a plant grown in a greenhouse or polytunnel in a 9cm pot (for holly which germinates poorly in the field)

Cell grown - a plant grown in small deep cells (like a small yogurt pot) and then lifted out of those for transportation. Commonly used in forestry and large hedging projects.  Very high quality plants with excellent success rate.  See our blog on the benefits of cell grown plants.

C+1 or C+2 - a 3 or 4 year old plant initally started as hardwood cuttings grown on for a year as cell grown plants and then lined out in fields to grow on for a further 1 or 2 years (a technique used for Cherry Laurel)

0/1 - a hardwood cutting, then field grown for one season (for example for white willow, black poplar and osier)