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Fruit Edible

Prunus domestica 'Imperial Gage' (D)

plum 'Imperial Gage'

A greenish-yellow, juicy sweet gage that crops reliably. Partly self-fertile and in pollination group 2, but will fruit better with a pollination partner from group 1, 2 or 3. Flowering time is very early so it is subject to frost damage. Fruiting season is around the middle of August

Synonyms

Prunus domestica 'Denniston's Superb'

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Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

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: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moist, but well-drained soil in full sun. Suitable for all training forms including fan-trained. Keep a weed-free area of at least 60cm radius around trunk. Thin fruit if necessary. Irrigate in dry periods

Propagation

Propagate by chip budding or grafting onto a rootstock for fruit. The rootstock will largely determine the vigour of the tree

Suggested planting locations and garden types

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

Pruning

Regular pruning required according to tree form - see pruning plums or pruning established fans

Pests

Can suffer from plum aphid, caterpillars, fruit tree red spider mite, brown scale, plum moth and bullfinches

Diseases

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

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