Plums are not only a real treat fresh from the tree, they are also very suitable as a fruity and refreshing baking ingredient. With columnar plum trees, the owners of smaller gardens and terraces do not have to do without the fruit they grow themselves.
Plums are not equal to plums
Pillar plums can grow amazingly large
While a wide variety of fruit varieties with columnar growth are sold in specialist shops under the generic term columnar fruit, the various fruit trees differ quite significantly in their growth characteristics and care requirements. Column peaches or columnar apples that have been bred accordingly can be cultivated as "dwarf trees" with the necessary pruning, but columnar plums can definitely reach growth heights of more than 300 cm. The columnar shapes under the plums not only form a narrow trunk, but can also be around 100 cm wide. Of course, you can regularly correct the growth habit with appropriate pruning measures, but this sometimes reduces the possible yield. It is advisable not to fall for the photo montages of some tree nurseries with their pictures of columnar mini plum trees in pots with an almost unbelievably dense fruit population. In general, columnar plums are more suitable for fruit trellis and sunny locations in the garden than for pot culture on a windy balcony.
Choosing the right plum variety
In the meantime, numerous plum varieties with columnar growth are available from the relevant specialist companies, particularly popular varieties are:
- Prunus domestica 'Top Col'
- Prunus domestica 'Anja'
- Prunus domestica 'Fruca'
- Prunus domestica 'Pruntop'
- Prunus domestica 'Top'
- Prunus domestica 'Imperial'
- Prunus domestica 'Maja'
- Prunus domestica 'Ruth'
- Prunus domestica 'Hermann'
- Prunus domestica 'Black Amber'
Plum trees prefer a sunny location with permeable, humus-rich soil. Last but not least, when choosing a variety for your own garden, it also depends on your own expectations of the fruit yield: the different varieties differ in fruit size and color, but also in the exact ripening time. A distinction is made between early, mid-early and late varieties.
The Pillar Plum Imperial
The plum variety Prunus domestica 'Imperial', which grows in a columnar manner, is characterized by relatively fast growth and by its stone-removing fruits with medium-firm flesh. If the blossoms of this approximately 250 to 300 cm high columnar plum are not affected by late frosts, the fruits of this self-fertile variety will be ready for consumption in August and September.
tips
Even with fruit varieties that are actually self-fertile, it can have a positive effect on the yield if trees of the same or a similar type of fruit are planted in the immediate vicinity.