PLUMS

Billington - Early season. Small plum with dark red skin and firm red very good flavoured flesh. It crops very heavily, and its chief claim to fame is that it is the first fully red fleshed plum to ripens - at About Christmas time. Self fertile.

Black Doris - Late season. Medium to large very dark black-purple freestone fruit with dark red very firm flesh. Good for bottling (and jam) because of it's firmness and deep colour. Vigorous, upright tree.

Burbank - Early mid season. Burbank plums are medium sized, bright red mottled yellow, and have deep yellow flesh of very good flavour. The trees are partially self fertile, and often set extremely heavily, which can lead to fungal disease such as brown rot spreading quickly, and can cause biennial bearing. The trees are low growing, flat topped, and with drooping limbs. Burbank trees tolerate more cold than some of the other Japanese cultivars.

Elephant Heart - Late season. A large, dark reddish purple conic fruit with purple-red sweet, juicy flesh. It is a freestone, and useful for fresh eating and canning/bottling.

Omega - Late season. A large, dark port wine red skinned, firm crimson red fleshed plum of good flavor, very good storeage ability (will keep for 3 weeks or more after picking), and regular heavy crops. Pollenizers are 'Duff's Early Jewel' and 'Santa Rosa'.

Plumcot - This is a tree that has been in NZ for a very long time, and whether it is a local seedling or a variety introduced by Hayward Wright (father of the Kiwifruit) in the 30's is unknown. Certainly, Wright sold plumcots at that time -"These will fruit whereas the apricot is [a] shy [bearer]. We have them in 3 varieties, viz,: White Flesh, Red Flesh and Yellow Flesh". Kerby is a yellow flesh, freestone variety. The fruit are pinkish red skinned, juicy, mild, delicately flavored, with a hint of bitterness. They are early to flower, and might possibly be pollinized by or pollinize apricots. They have an extended flowering period, which takes in the flowering period of 'Pixie' plum.

Purple King - Midseason. This large fruit has purplish red skin covered with a heavy bloom, and excellent flavoured, yellow flesh (tinged wine red near the stone). A very vigorous tree, but must have a pollenizer-'Sultan', 'Doris', or 'Duff's Early Jewel', and bears very poorly in the abscence of a suitable pollinizer. It is well suited to warmer, more humid areas, as it has some resistance to bacterial diseases.

Santa Rosa - Early season. A medium large, crimson to purplish red, lightly freckled plum with yellow flesh slightly suffused with pink especially near the pit. The fruit is firm, sweet, juicy, and aromatic, except near the pit, where it is quite acid.. The tree is widely adapted, partly self fertile (sets fruit without a pollenizer, but sets a lot more with one), and the tree is hardy, upright and vigorous, and highly productive. S.R. is a very important commercial cultivar and readily available in the supermarket. Nevertheless, it is a very good choice for the home garden. Pollenizers 'Duff's Early Jewel' and 'Omega'.

Satsuma - 'Blood plum'. Mid season. A large fruit with solid deep red skin and flesh and the small pit is semi freestone. Satsuma is juicy, and it has a particularly good flavor. The tree is an upright grower. 'Methley', 'Santa Rosa' and 'Beauty' will pollenize Satsuma.

Sultan - Early mid season. Similar to Satsuma, a medium to large, oval, red fleshed, deep red skinned plum that is soft and juicy and has good flavor. It bears heavily on a rather low, spreading tree. Pollenizers are 'Doris' and 'Duff's Early Jewel'.

Wilson's - Early Early season. One of the earliest plums to ripen, but the bright red yellow fleshed fruit are small and tend to biennial bearing. 'Doris' and 'Mariposa' are likely to have the best flowering overlap.