About

Plum 'Laxton's Delight' bears large, yellow, juicy and sweet fruits of rich flavour from mid to late August. Produces good, regular crops and is partly self-fertile.

About the 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

Growing conditions

SunlightFull sun
Soil typeLoam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained, Well-drained
AspectWest-facing, South-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH5

Plant details

Plant typeFruit Edible
HabitColumnar upright, Bushy
FoliageDeciduous
Height2.5-4 metres
Spread2.5-4 metres
Time to full height5-10 years
Suggested usesCottage and informal garden, City and courtyard gardens, Wildlife gardens

Care notes

CultivationSuitable for all training forms. Keep a weed-free area of at least 60cm radius around trunk. Thin fruits if necessary. Irrigate in dry periods. Flowers early, so at risk from spring frosts
PruningPruning plums; regular pruning required in summer, according to tree form. Plums can be grown as cordons, pyramids, bushes, or as trees
PropagationPropagate by chip budding or grafting onto rootstocks for fruit
Pest resistancePlums suffer from plum aphid, caterpillars, fruit tree red spider mite, brown scale, plum moth and bullfinches may be problematic
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to peach leaf curl, silver leaf, bacterial canker, blossom wilt and honey fungus