Bubblegum Toka Plum Tree

Growing your own fruit can be a great pleasure, and a great way to provide ‘free food’ to yourself, your family and often to your neighbors as well. But it isn’t always so easy, what with choosing what to grow, considering what variety to grow, and often having to buy and find room for a second tree as a pollinator. Plus, many types of fruit-tree take several years to begin bearing fruit, and often need complex pruning and protection from pests and diseases. If all this puts you off, and/or you are new to fruit growing, then we recommend something simple. One group of fruit trees that has traditionally been a ‘first tree’, and ideal for new gardens, are plum trees. Delicious eaten fresh, ripening early in the summer, and perfect for baking and preserves, plums are also very easy to grow – especially if you choose the Bubblegum Plum Tree. This popular variety produces a full crop from just one tree – great for small gardens. It begins fruiting within a season or two, and grows quickly to full size, so you see results very soon. It’s easy to grow, and although best if pruned – we’ll talk about that further down – it can be fine just left to grow naturally, and you’ll still get a big harvest. It has lovely spring blooms, and strong fall leaf colors, making it great in the garden too. Most important of all, it is really sweet and tasty – your kids will love it. Using the Bubblegum Toka Plum Tree in Your Garden Growing to around 15 feet or so, the Bubblegum Plum Tree is perfect for planting out on a lawn, with good ornamental features, adding beauty as well as usefulness. It could also be grown to fill the corner of your yard, and even as a productive screen, if grown in a row. Plant it at the back of your shrub beds, or along the edge of a group of mature trees. It certainly doesn’t have to be grown in an orchard or fruit garden, but if you are ambitious, and want that, then it will be ideal. It could also be grown as a fan espalier, just like a peach tree, spread out on a wall or fence, where it would take up very little room. Growing the Bubblegum Toka Plum Tree Size and Appearance The Bubblegum Plum Tree is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree, growing to between 15 and 20 feet tall and wide, depending on pruning methods you might use. It is fast growing, adding up to 3 feet a season, bearing fruit within a year or two, and very soon carrying big crops. It has exceptionally attractive spring blossoms, of creamy-white, carried along the bare branches, and making a very ornamental display. The leaves are oval, up to 4 inches long, and with a smooth, glossy surface. New growth is dusky pink, maturing to a light green. In fall the leaves turn lovely shades of purple, adding a lot to the fall display in your garden. Following flowering, fruit develops, and this tree is unusual for a plum because it produces a good crop of fruit even without another variety for pollination. Yes, with a suitable pollinator you will have a bigger crop, but for most people the crop from a single tree is more than enough. Choose an American or Japanese plum variety for cross-pollination (each one pollinates the other), and not a European variety, as that won’t pollinate the Bubblegum Plum Tree. Fruit ripens in July or August, and is usually about 1 ½ inches in diameter. The skin is a rich purple, and the flesh is yellow. It is ripe when the skin is well-colored, but for maximum flavor it pays to wait until it is soft, and almost falls off when you touch it – wow, that really brings out the full sweetness, and the unique bubblegum or ‘tutti frutti’ flavor of this special variety. Hardiness A great choice in colder zones, the Bubblegum Plum Tree is hardy in zone 4, and does well in all the cooler parts of the country. Yet it also grows well, and fruits well, but a little earlier, when grown all the way into zone 8. Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions For good results, plant your Bubblegum Plum Tree in full sun – that’s the way to get a good crop of ripe fruit. Grow it in most garden soils, it isn’t fussy, and will grow in any well-drained soil, preferring one that is rich and not dry. So add a good amount of rich compost when planting, and water regularly. Once established it is reasonably drought tolerant, but if too dry the fruit will be small, so soak every week or two while the fruit is developing, if it doesn’t rain. Maintenance and Pruning For fully tree-ripened fruit you will need to throw a net over the tree, or the birds will take a lot of your crop. If you don’t want to do that, an alternative is to pick the fruit while it is still hard and then let it ripen indoors. Plum trees are relatively free of pests or diseases, and even if you see some, they rarely cause enough damage to stop you getting a good crop. You can let your tree grow unpruned, but for the best results, especially in colder areas, prune it into a vase-shape, starting early. Each spring cut off the top 20% (1/5th) of the branches before flowering begins, to keep your tree lower and more compact. History and Origin of the Bubble Gum Redbud The American plum, Prunus americana, grows wild across a vast area from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic coast, and from Saskatchewan in Canada to New Mexico and from Québec to Florida. It was widely eaten by native Americans, and adopted by settlers. Dr Niels Hansen was a Danish-American botanist and horticulturist, who wanted to give Prairie farmers fruit trees that would grow in the bitter winters there. He was a professor at South Dakota Agricultural College from the 1890s, and a prolific breeder of apple trees, as well as plums. He crossed numerous hardy plants looking for strong trees, and among his crosses was one between the American plum and the Chinese apricot plum, Prunus simonii, noted for its distinctive flavor and sweetness. That cross produced the variety called ‘Toka’. Buying the Bubble Gum Redbud at The Tree Center Plums are easy to grow, and give a satisfying crop from just one tree. They are a great choice for colder zones, and if you want plums, but don’t want a lot of work or to buy two trees, then the Bubblegum Plum Tree is an obvious and great choice. We have some good, strong plants available, and they will quickly give you a good crop, so order now – the sooner you plant, the sooner you harvest.