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Fruit Edible

Prunus domestica 'Early Laxton' (C/D)

plum 'Early Laxton'

A dual purpose cultivar and one of the earliest to crop. The white spring blossom is followed by mid-sized, round fruit with yellow skin flushed pinkish-red with a pale mauve bloom and very sweet and juicy golden yellow flesh. Crops well and is frost resistant. Cropping season: late July. Pollination group 3

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Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Rosaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Prunus can be deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs with showy flowers in spring, and often good autumn foliage colour. Some have edible fruit in autumn, and a few species have ornamental bark
Name status: Unresolved

How to grow

Cultivation

Tolerant of a range of soils as long as well drained, but prefers loamy, ideally slightly acidic soils pH of 6 to 6.5. Plant in a sunny, sheltered site. Flowers may be susceptible to spring frosts damage. See how to grow: plums for further cultivation details

Propagation

Propagate by chip budding or grafting, although softwood cuttings in early summer with bottom heat can be successful

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
City and courtyard gardens
Edible fruit
Wall side borders

Pruning

Prune regularly depending on how the tree is trained – see pruning plums. Train fan-trained trees in spring. Pruning established fans is carried out in early summer and after harvest

Pests

May be susceptible to plum aphid, red spider mite and winter moth caterpillar. The fruit can be damaged by plum moth caterpillars, wasps and birds

Diseases

May be susceptible to peach leaf curl, silver leaf, bacterial canker, blossom wilt and honey fungus

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