Silver Creek Nursery Ltd.

Greengage European Plum Scionwood

Scionwood is not a tree, yet!

Scionwood, or scions (pronounced 'sigh-ons'), are the young, one-year shoots you graft with in order to propagate a variety. If you want to propagate a Gala apple tree, for example, you would graft with Gala scionwood!

We collect these scions from trees in our test orchards and are happy to be able to offer rare/heritage varieties!

For more information on scionwood and grafting, click HERE!

History: Greengage plums are a European variety that originated in Iran, although it is unclear exactly how old they are. They were introduced to England via France in 1724 by Sir William Gage, after whom they were named in English when the French labels were supposedly lost in transit. These sweet plums were later brought to North American colonies where they were grown by prominent figures such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Although they have since fallen out of favour in North America, they are still quite popular in western Europe and occasionally referenced in pop culture. Greengage plums are the namesake of The Greengage Summer, a 1958 novel and subsequent 1961 film, and are mentioned in a Monty Python sketch. 

Why We Grow It: It is a shame this plum's popularity declined in North America since it is considered a high-quality dessert fruit, possibly even the best dessert plum. Their bright green flesh is incredibly sweet and can also be used for cooking and preserving. Greengage plum trees tend to have a compact growth habit, great for anyone without a lot of space.

        $8.50

        Propagation Material:

        29 in stock

        Fruit Traits:

        Recommended Use: Fresh eating, cooking

        Fruit Size: Medium

        Storage: Keeps about a week in the fridge.

        Harvest: September - Late

        Plant Traits:

        Canadian Hardiness Zone: 4

        Flowering Time: Middle

        Pollination Requirements: Self-pollinating, this variety will produce fruit without a European plum tree of a different variety but will produce more and better fruit if one is present.

        Sun/Shade Requirements: Full sun (approx. 8-10 hours of sun daily)

        General Growth Habit: Compact growth habit, tends to bear fruit every other year but produce heavy crops when they do.

        Shipping: Scionwood can be shipped anytime in the spring, although we generally recommend that customers receive their scionwood by mid-April at the latest to ensure it arrives dormant. We can hold it longer if customers accept the risk that the scionwood may start breaking dormancy after this time.

        Pickup: We will notify you as soon as your scionwood is ready. We recommend picking it up as soon as you are able and storing it at home.

        Click HERE for tips on storing scionwood!

        CLICK HERE to see our shipping policy.

        Each scion will have at least 2-4 grafts' worth of material and ideally will be approximately 12-18" or 30cm+ long. Since we specialize in so many varieties/species, there will be natural differences in growth habit and vigour so some varieties may be shorter or thinner. We will provide the best quality we can, within natural restraints.

        If a scion is less than 6" or 15cm, it will be discounted accordingly.

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