Denniston's Superb

Prunus domestica

Denniston's Superb is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators

The small round green fruits of Denniston's Superb look like typical green gages, and have the rich gage-like flavor. However, illustrating how ill-defined the boundary between European plum and gage is, it is now generally considered to be a true European plum, on the basis of its upright growth habit and generally reliable productivity.

These niceties need not both the gardener - if you want a green gage without the fussy demands of some other green gages, this is the one to choose.

Denniston's Superb also has particularly attractive blossom, with larger flowers than most other plum trees.

Rated by the Victorian writer Hogg as "a first-rate dessert plum".

Denniston's Superb plum trees for sale

RF12-year bare-root tree on VVA-1 rootstock£49.75
Mature height: 2m-3.5m after 10 years
Will become a medium-sized bush-trained semi-dwarf fruit tree, will require permanent staking, but won't need much space
Available next season
RF21-year bare-root tree on St. Julien rootstock£38.75
Mature height: 3m-5m after 10 years
Can be trained on as a large bush-trained tree or a half-standard tree, no staking required once estalished. Also suitable as a large fan-trained tree.
Available next season
RF32-year bare-root tree on St. Julien rootstock£47.50
Mature height: 3m-5m after 10 years
Will become a large vase-shaped fruit tree, no staking required once established.
Available next season
RF42-year half-standard bare-root tree on St. Julien rootstock£51.00
Mature height: 3m-5m after 10 years
Can be trained on as a large free-standing half-standard tree.
Available next season
RF51-year bare-root tree on Brompton rootstock£41.25
Mature height: 5m-7m after 10 years
Can be trained on as a 'standard' fruit tree, no staking required, suitable for a traditional plum orchard.
Available next season

Growing and Training

Although the round green fruit resembles a green gage, Denniston's Superb grows more like a plum tree - upright, quite vigorously, and with good disease resistance. The long whippy branches soon adopt a weeping habit when loaded with fruit.

Denniston's Superb produces a lot of pollen over a long period in the earlier part of the plum blossom season, and is therefore an excellent pollinator for other early and mid-season flowering plum varieties. If you are familiar with the flowering time of Victoria plum trees in your area, you will find that Denniston's Superb is in peak flower a week-to-10 days ahead.

Recommended pollinators for Denniston's Superb plum trees

Denniston's Superb is self-fertile, so you do not need another variety to pollinate it to produce fruit. However you are likely to get a better crop if you plant any of the following pollinator varieties nearby. If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us. More pollinators >