Myroban cherry or prunus cerasifera

Wow, Bertie, I have grown this since forever and have never had fruit. good one, taste one for me, if the birds don't get them.

Tasted the first one yesterday, even though not completely ripe. Surprisingly sweet and tasty, which is surprising as I thought they were only suitable for jam or stewing. The flesh is light pink throughout.
Must be the warm spring (blossom survived the frost, as they flower early) and good summer. Perhaps that is why they often don't succeed. Last year we only had one or two fruit which the birds got to before they were ready. So far the birds are leaving them alone. (Fingers crossed).
Got the seed from Chilterns. The trees must be around six years old now, but another one has been slowly dying for the past three years. It still has a few feeble leaves round the base of the dead trunk.

Best of luck with this one. You might be on to a good thing. Amazing what you get from seed sometimes.

I started with a single question about our Prunus Cerasifera and have found this website great. I love gardening but don't have huge amounts of disposable time after work. My Dad grew just about everything edible (Dunne from Kilkenny).

Our purple plum is quite mature and large (16m+), casting a lot of shade over some areas of the garden. I would like to reduce it but not sure if I should. Now that we have realised that it fruits we are going to watch over it a bit better. It is always covered in stacks of birds (and feeders) and a regular climb for our daughter.

When can we eat the fruit if we get there before the birds?

You can eat the fruit as soon as they are slightly soft and have turned dark red or purple.

Hi Bertiefox...I have just been prowling through your lovely photos and was drawn up short by this one....is it related to what I call the Mirabelle cherry plum (Prunus institia) I used to have a couple of them and they were slow to mature but then always laden with gorgeous fruit. I had the scarlet red "Gypsy" and there is a yellow "Drap D'or" (I think) which my friend had. Sadly my ones bit the dust with bacterial canker after about 15 years! They are fiendishly expensive and not easy to get either. Your one may not be related - but no doubt you can tell me please.

It's a plum also known as the Pissard Plum which comes from central and eastern Europe. It can come purple leaved from seed or green.
As it flowers very early in the season, you need to a good spring to get fruit otherwise the blossom or tiny fruit get frosted. I don't know if it's related to prunus institia I'm afraid.

Hi there again...
I've just Googled your Pissard Plum and found it comes from Persia...so far so good....I THINK the Mirabelle one comes from China - certainly Asia and when I read into the comparative history - it looks like the Pissard one may well be the original stock and the Mirabelle a far flung sport or cousin which MAY have been taken along the Silk Road either intentionally - or by accident - then imported back!!. I gave up trying to follow it all. Suffice it that they are similar in habit and very heavy croppers - given the right conditions. A fascinating subject but way beyond my comprehension. Thanks for your input ...it has given me something to get my teeth into..and enthused me into MAYBE getting another Mirabelle!! Having said which ..they are probably a tree best planted for the NEXT generation!!

Just to make you jealous, Alz., we have two large Mirabelles, both heavy with fruit (not ripe yet). These were old orchard trees already planted many years ago long before we arrived here. Apart from cutting the tops down, we've done nothing to them (other than neglect them) and they're still rewarding us. One day I will make time to renovate and care for all our old orchard trees, but pruning is not a subject I really understand, especially when it comes to very old and overgrown trees.

AAGH!! If I wasn't SUCH an old stick in the mud....I'd be down to visit before you could say Prunus Institia!!!!

many thanks for photos, have found this tree growing in my back garden and im pleased to say its confirmed our tree to be as above. the fruit taste just like a sweet plum. Thankyou