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It starts out as a bare, dark-barked tree and as the temperatures start to reach the mid- to upper-40s and the daylight is still around after the day's commute home, small dark pink flower buds add a hint of color to the branch tips. Then, suddenly, the flower buds burst open, covering the tree with a perfumed layer of delicate blossoms. The flowers are tiny with almost-white petals and with dark pink stamens protruding from their centers.
After a week or so of sweet smelling blooms, the petals start falling like a mid-March snow. While the plum tree sheds is blossoms, its leaves start to emerge. The young leaves, shiny and soft, surround the ever-thinning flowers, slowly turning the tree from a light strawberry-frosting-pink to a dark, well, plum-colored purple. At times, when the light is right, the tree is almost black; when the sun shines through the leaves from behind the tree, however, it glows with a merlot-tinted hue.
As the summer burns on, small plums appear throughout the branches. Our plum tree has small fruit--plums only an inch across. The seeds take up the majority of the plum's insides; the rest, however, is filled with an intensly sweet juice. It's no wonder the local birds love them. Last year a regular group of birds would fly back and forth from the tree, taking plums to who-knows-where in their beaks. Smaller birds would perch on the branches and pierce the plums and lap up the juice. Luckily, they left a few for us to enjoy.
After all of the plums have been eaten and the temperatures start to drop, the flowering plum tree starts to let go of its leaves, covering the ground this time with its dark red litter. Most of the leaves fell into our flowerbeds; I just left them where they fell to act as a mulch to keep the tulip bulbs a bit warmer over the winter. The rest were raked up and spread among the other flowerbeds. Finally, the tree's dark branches contrasted against the gray winter skies, resting up for the next year's spring show.
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Posted by mike at August 8, 2005 06:13 AM
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I have two flowering plum trees which are not suppost to have any plums. The trees are about 15 years of age and last summer it was loaded with little plums. Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening? They are located on my patio and I do not want fruit. I planted them for shad and the looks but not for fruit. They have been great; until the last few years.. Help, Help, Help. Thank you
Posted by: Donald at December 4, 2005 12:47 PM
Thank you for the wonderful description of this tree! I was searching for pictures of this type and if I wasn't 100% convinced of getting this tree, I am now. I can't wait to add it to my yard and delight my senses!
Posted by: Diane at March 30, 2006 02:20 PM
we have a flowering plum tree at work is there any way of getting a part of the tree so i can start one at home?
Posted by: miranda at May 18, 2006 09:26 AM
I have a flowering plum tree that is 2 years old. It seems to have some sort of insect on it as there some holes in the leaves & also I have had to cut off several tops of the branchs because they were dead. I am wondering if anyone could tell me what is wrong & how to care for it? Thank-you. Sincerely, Karen Fortier
Posted by: Karen Fortier at July 21, 2006 07:07 PM
