Self Pollinating Plum Trees (10 Plum Varieties That Self Pollinate)

Some plum trees need another tree nearby to pollinate flowers and produce fruit. But there are some plum trees that are self-pollinating – these ones produce fruit all by themselves.

So, which plum trees are self-pollinating? Some self-pollinating plum trees include: Au-Roadside, Beauty, Damson, Green Gage, Methley, Mount Royal, Persian Green, Plum Burgundy, Santa Rosa, and Stanley. Plum trees produce fruit 3 to 6 years after planting (2 to 5 years for dwarf varieties).

Planting extra plum trees nearby increases the size of your harvest. You can also plant different plum varieties to get a longer window for harvesting fresh plums.

In this article, we’ll give a list of 10 self-pollinating plum trees, along with some information about each variety.

Let’s get started.

Level up your
garden game
with GreenUpside!

Join 1000+ gardeners to get access to news, tips, and information.

Delivered right to your inbox – once per week.

10 Self-Pollinating Plum Varieties

Some varieties of plum (Pyrus domestica) are self-pollinating. This means you only need one tree to produce fruit.

Plum trees generally produce fruit 3 to 6 years after planting (2 to 5 years for dwarf plum varieties).

Here are some self-pollinating plum varieties to consider for your garden:

• Au-Roadside Plum – this self-pollinating plum variety is a standard size, reaching a height of 20 to 25 feet and a width of 20 feet. It produces white flowers and dark red fruit with amber flesh. It can yield up to 120 pounds of semi-clingstone fruit. The tree is resistant to black knot, bacterial canker, bacterial fruit spot, and plum leaf scald. It is adapted to Zones 6 to 8. You can learn more about the Au-Roadside Plum from Gurney’s.
• Beauty Plum – this self-pollinating plum variety is a good pollinator for other plum trees. The tree is a standard size, reaching a height of 12 to 15 feet and a width of 12 to 15 feet. It produces white or pale pink flowers and bright red fruit with amber flesh.  It yields clingstone fruit in early June. It is adapted to Zones 6 to 9.  You can learn more about the Beauty Plum from Gurney’s.
• Damson Plum – this self-pollinating plum variety comes from Shropshire, England. The tree comes in two sizes: standard (reaching a height of 18 to 20 feet and a width of 18 to 20 feet) or dwarf (reaching a height of 8 to 10 feet and a width of 8 to 10 feet). It produces white flowers and small to medium purple fruit in August. It is adapted to Zones 5 to 7. You can learn more about the Damson Plum from Stark Brothers.

• Green Gage Plum – this self-pollinating plum variety is a standard size, reaching a height of 20 to 25 feet and a width of 20 to 25 feet. It produces white flowers and yellow-green fruit. It is adapted to Zones 5 to 9. You can learn more about the Green Gage Plum from Gurney’s.

Level up your
garden game
with GreenUpside!

Join 1000+ gardeners to get access to news, tips, and information.

Delivered right to your inbox – once per week.

• Methley Plum – this self-pollinating plum variety comes from South Africa and is good for pollinating other Japanese plum varieties. The tree is standard size, reaching a height of 18 to 20 feet and a width of 18 to 20 feet. It produces white flowers and medium purple-red fruit in mid-July.  It is adapted to Zones 5 to 9. You can learn more about the Methley Plum from Stark Brothers.
• Mount Royal Plum – this self-pollinating prune plum variety comes from Canada. The tree is standard size, reaching a height of 18 to 20 feet and a width of 18 to 20 feet. It produces white flowers and small to medium blue fruit in August. It is adapted to Zones 4 to 8. You can learn more about the Mount Royal Plum from Stark Brothers.
• Persian Green Plum – this self-pollinating plum variety is a standard size, reaching a height of 12 to 15 feet and a width of 12 to 15 feet. It produces white flowers and sour green fruit with yellow flesh.  It yields fruit in late April or May. It is adapted to Zones 6 to 9. You can learn more about the Persian Green Plum from Gurney’s.
• Plum Burgundy – this self-pollinating plum variety is a standard size, reaching a height of 20 to 25 feet and a width of 20 feet. It produces white flowers and dark reddish purple fruit with pinkish purple flesh.  It yields semi-freestone fruit with a small pit in early July. It is adapted to Zones 6 to 10.  You can learn more about the Plum Burgundy from Gurney’s.
• Santa Rosa Plum – this self-pollinating plum variety was developed by Luther Burbank in Santa Rosa, California. The tree is heat-tolerant and comes in two sizes: standard (reaching a height of 18 to 20 feet and a width of 18 to 20 feet) or dwarf (reaching a height of 8 to 10 feet and a width of 8 to 10 feet). It produces white flowers and large red clingstone fruit in July. It is adapted to Zones 5 to 9.  You can learn more about the Santa Rosa Plum from Stark Brothers.

• Stanley Prune Plum – this self-pollinating prune plum variety was developed in Geneva, New York by Cornell University. The tree is standard size, reaching a height of 18 to 20 feet and a width of 18 to 20 feet. It produces white flowers and medium purple freestone fruit in early September. It is adapted to Zones 5 to 7.  You can learn more about the Stanley Plum from Stark Brothers.

Remember that all of the plum varieties above are self-pollinating. You don’t need another tree to produce fruit. Still, having two or more trees of different varieties close together may improve your harvest.

Also, keep in mind the distinction between the stones (seed or pit) at the center of plum fruit:

• Freestone – the flesh separates very easily from the pit.
• Semi-freestone – the flesh separates somewhat easily from the pit, but still clings a bit.
• Clingstone – the flesh clings to the pit, making it more difficult to separate the two.

Finally: as an example, let’s say you wanted to extend your harvest window for plums. Here’s an example of how you could do it by planting various types:

• Persian Green Plums – harvest fruit in late April or May
• Beauty Plums – harvest fruit in early June (clingstone)
• Plum Burgundy – harvest fruit in early July (semi-freestone)
• Methley Plums – harvest fruit in mid-July (clingstone)
• Damson Plums – harvest fruit in August (most are clingstone)
• Stanley Prune Plums – harvest fruit in early September (freestone)

With this wide variety of 6 plum trees, you could have fruit from late April all the way to early September (almost a 5 month window!)

Conclusion

Now you know a little more about self-pollinating plum trees. You also know how to choose different types to get fresh fruit for a longer time.

I hope you found this article helpful. If so, please share it with someone who can use the information.

To find books, courses, seeds, gardening supplies, and more, check out The Shop at Greenupside!

Shop Now

---

Hey – you can get our weekly gardening newsletter here!

Level up your
garden game
with GreenUpside!

Join 1000+ gardeners to get access to news, tips, and information.

Delivered right to your inbox – once per week.

---

If you want to read some of my most popular posts, check out the “Best of GreenUpSide” page here.  Enjoy!

~Jonathon

---