How to Grow and Care for Cherry plum

Cherry plum, also known as Myrobalan plum, Purple leaf plum, Pissard plum

Cherry plum is recognized for its adaptability and ease of growth. Key care points include ensuring the plant has well-draining soil and receives full sun to partial shade for optimal growth and flowering. Additionally, cherry plum benefits from regular watering during dry periods, although it is quite drought-tolerant once established. Pruning is necessary to maintain the desired shape and remove any dead or damaged branches.

Watering schedule: Every 1-2 weeks

Sunlight Requirements: Full sun

Toxic to Human & Pets

In This Article

Planting and Growing Cherry plum

Toughness	High
Care Level	Low
Care Difficulty	Easy
Lifespan	Perennial
Watering Schedule	Every 1-2 weeks
Sunlight Requirements	Full sun
Soil pH	6-7.5
Planting Time	Spring, Fall
Hardiness Zones	5-9
Toxicity	Toxic to Human & Pets

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Varieties of Cherry plum

Cherry plum 'Pissardii'

The cherry plum 'Pissardii' usually retains its scientific name but is also sometimes known as the black cherry plum because of its unique black-purple coloring. This cultivar is used in gardens for its decorative foliage and white flowers, which usually bloom in early spring.

Cherry plum 'Nigra'

Cherry plum 'Nigra' is a popular plum named for its extremely dark coloration. What makes this cultivar unique is its dark twigs and leaves, which darken over the summer from a rust color to a deep purple-black, then lighten back to a reddish-orange palette in fall. This showy tree gives gardens a blaze of changing colors and attractive pink springtime blooms.

Cherry plum 'Krauter Vesuvius'

Cherry plum 'Krauter Vesuvius' is named after its developer, Mr. Carl Krauter of Bakersfield, California, who selected this cultivar during the 1950s. This small cherry plum has distinctive upright pointing branches and characteristic dark purple leaves and twigs, contrasting with the lighter colored parent plant.

Cherry plum 'Thundercloud'

Cherry plum 'Thundercloud' is a popular ornamental cultivar of Cherry plum with spectacular dark scarlet branches and leaves, reminiscent of the color of a thundercloud. This leaf coloration is in marked contrast to the typical green leaves of the parent plant. In early season, the leaves are red to dark, turning scarlet over the course of the year.

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The Toxicity of Cherry plum

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More General Info About Cherry plum

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Quickly Identify Cherry plum

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Cherry plum is a medium-sized, ornamental, deciduous tree with an upright, spreading form, and a rounded to vase-shaped crown. It exhibits thin reddish-brown to dark gray bark with visible lenticels in its youth, transitioning to a furrowed texture with age. The leaves present as alternate, simple, ovate shapes with serrated edges, shining dark green with paler hairy undersides, measuring approximately 2-3 inches long (5-7.5 cm). In spring, the tree showcases fragrant white, 5-petaled flowers, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, followed by round, attractive drupes, reddish to yellow in color, each roughly 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) across.