Flowering Plum Trees
Info
One of the first trees to bloom in the spring, fragrant flowers. Good tree for 2x3' basins and beneath overhead wires. Attracts bees.
Many light pink, fragrant flowers, 1" across, along bare branches, bloom late January-February. Insignificant fruit. Rough dark brown bark.
'Thundercloud' has rounder, more coppery leaves. P. blireiana has greenish red leaves and deep pink, double flowers, and is susceptible to leaf curl and pests.
Varieties
K. V. Purple Leaf
Perhaps the most colorful of all flowering plums. Oval crown contains dark purple-black foliage preceded by showy, light pink flowers. Great ornamental tree. Fast growth rate can reach 20-25' tall.Newport
Forms dark purple foliage. New leaves are a light bronze-purple but quickly change to red or red-purple. Hardiest purple-leaved plum. Average maturity height is 15-18’.Thundercloud
New foliage unfolds as ruby red, then turns reddish-purple for the rest of the growing season. Its fast growth rate quickly forms a 15-25’ tree. Small, white to light pink, fragrant flowers, which usually appear before the leaves unfold, are followed by a heavy crop of edible, 1” purple fruits.
Care and Maintenance
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Preparing the Hole
Dig the hole as deep as the root ball, and as much as three times as wide as the diameter of the root ball. Breaking up the soil around the tree provides the newly emerging roots room to grow into loose soil to hasten establishment.
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Placing Your Tree
Place the tree carefully in the center of the hole after removing it from the container. The tree's root collar (the bulge right above the root system) should be just above the top of the soil. Don't dig the hole too deep. It is better if the root collar is slightly (1 to 2") higher than ground level because of possible setting.
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Filling the Hole
Carefully fill the hole with soil when the tree is positioned and straight. Fill the hole about 1/3 full and lightly push the soil around the base of the root ball. Fill the remainder of the hole taking care to gently but firmly pack soil to eliminate air pockets that may cause the roots to dry out. Don't plant the tree too deep. Back fill the soil to the height just below the root collar.
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Mulching
Place 2 to 4 inches of mulch in a 2 to 3 foot circle around the tree. Keep the mulch from touching the trunk to keep fungus from growing on the trunk. Mulch can be aged wood chips or bark. Mulch helps keep roots moist and insulates them, and prevents weed growth. It is not recommended to apply fertilizer at the time of planting.
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Watering
Water the tree well as soon as you plant it. Water the tree at least once a week for the first year after planting. A slow, root-saturating, one-hour trickle once a week is recommended for a new tree. The watering schedule should be adjusted accordingly if it rains or is very dry.
