Large pale pink pompoms crowd the branches at the end of winter: this is flowering plum (Prunus triloba), a deciduous shrub of 6 to 10 feet grown for nothing but its blooming. Give it full sun, plant it in autumn for good roots, and the brief show is worth a vase of cut branches.
| Name | Prunus triloba |
|---|---|
| Family | Rosaceae |
| Type | shrub |
| Height | 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 meters) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Flowering | early to mid-spring |
| Foliage | deciduous |
Beyond Prunus triloba itself, several ornamental plums are grown for flowers alone and are easy to find in garden centres. Pick according to flower, foliage colour and the space you can give them.
| Variety | Flower | Foliage | Flowering time | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Crimson Pointe’ | White to pale pink | Glossy deep purple | Early spring | 20 ft (6 m), very narrow |
| Prunus × blireana | Double rose-pink, lightly scented | Bronze-purple | Early spring | 12–15 ft (4–5 m) |
| ‘Nigra’ | Single pale pink | Deep blackish purple | Early spring | 20–25 ft (6–8 m) |
| ‘Pissardii’ | White to blush pink | Red-purple, greener with age | Late winter to early spring | 20–25 ft (6–8 m) |
| ‘Thundercloud’ | Pale pink, fragrant | Dark purple | Early spring | 20 ft (6 m) |
It is recommended to plant it in fall to favor proper root development.
You can still nonetheless plant your flowering plum in spring if you’ve purchased it in a container.
Take care, if this is the case, to water regularly at the beginning.
After the blooming, cut short the year’s new branches just above an outward-facing bud.
The branches that bloom best are the shoots that are a year old already.
Flowering plum is most splendid at the end of winter with the abundant bearing of large pale pink pompoms.
Even though this blooming season is short, it is so impressive that it is worth giving your garden a nice touch of color as the spring days have finally arrived!
Come the blooming, snip off a couple branches and put them in a large vase: guaranteed ornamental impact!
Credits for images shared to Nature & Garden (all edits by Gaspard Lorthiois):
Flowers on a plum tree by John under Pixabay license
Flowering plum, red by Gini George under Pixabay license
