Bruce & Methley Plum Trees

Methley Plum

• The Methley plum (Prunus salicina) grows to a height of between 10 and 20 feet with a similar spread. It thrives best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, an area that encompasses most of the country aside from the extreme upper Midwest. The tree possesses a medium rate of growth, which, according to the Arbor Day Foundation, denotes a tree that grows between 13 and 24 inches annually.

Methley Features

• The Methley plum produces a fruit with reddish-purple skin and red, sweet-tasting flesh, along with fragrant white flowers that bloom in early spring. In some instances, the flowers may appear as early as late February. The Methley is a cultivar of the Japanese plum tree and grows into an upright tree with a bark rougher than that of its European plum counterparts. The specimen enjoys full sunshine and tolerates most soils, in addition to being somewhat drought-tolerant.

Bruce Plum

• The Bruce plum (Prunus salicina 'Bruce') is also a Japanese plum cultivar that grows into a small, shrubby tree with a maximum height of 15 feet and a similar spread. It thrives best in USDA plant hardiness zones 6 through 10, an area that encompasses humid and warmer sections of the country like the southern U.S. In the late summer, it produces a light, orange-colored fruit with yellow flesh.

Bruce Features

• Both Bruce and Methley plum trees flower in late winter or early spring, a unique feature that adds to the beauty of landscape specimens as snow mixes with the white petals. Because of the early flowering and fruiting, the Bruce plum tree is susceptible to freeze damage from late winter frosts. It requires full sunshine and rich, well-drained soil for ideal health. The Bruce requires another Japanese hybrid for pollination; it cannot cross-pollinate with European plums.