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Simple bare root fruit trees and ornamental trees

Excalibur

Prunus domestica
Excalibur plums
Excalibur is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators

With the resurgence in interest in plums, growers have increasingly tried to improve on the popular English Victoria plum, and Excalibur is one of the best examples. The plums are larger than Victoria, and arguably have a better flavour for eating fresh.

Excalibur plum trees for sale

  • 1-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

Growing and Training

Excalibur is not self-fertile - it needs a pollination partner, but Victoria is compatible. Cropping is lighter than Victoria (which is no bad thing) but still productive, and Excalibur has better disease resistance.


Recommended pollinators for Excalibur plum trees

Excalibur is not self-fertile, so you will need another different but compatible variety planted nearby in order to produce fruit. The following varieties are good pollinators for Excalibur. If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us. More pollinators >

  • Pollinator Avalon
    Avalon
    Avalon is a large mid-season red/purple plum, similar to Victoria, with a very good flavour.
  • Pollinator Denniston's Superb
    Denniston's Superb
    Denniston's Superb is a gage-like green plum, raised in New York in the 19th century.
  • Pollinator Herman
    Herman
    Herman is one of the best quality early-season plum varieties, blue/purple with yellow flesh.
  • Pollinator Marjorie's Seedling
    Marjorie's Seedling
    Marjorie's Seedling is an easy to grow, late-season, heavy cropping purple/black plum.
  • Pollinator Opal
    Opal
    Opal is an early plum variety with a good flavour, self-fertile and very easy to grow.
  • Pollinator Victoria
    Victoria
    Victoria is the definitive English plum, attractive fruit, good for eating, outstanding flavour for cooking.

History

Excalibur was developed at Long Ashton Research Station near Bristol and released in 1989. The mother variety is Count Althann's gage, noted for its superb flavour - and there is an obvious resemblance.

The same breeding programme also led to another popular garden plum variety called Avalon.


Excalibur characteristics

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Fruit persistenceNormal ripening
  • Self-fertile?Not self-fertile
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Pick seasonMid
  • Picking periodmid-August
  • Keeping1 week
  • Food usesEating freshCulinary
  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin1950 - 1999
  • Fruit colourRed

You might also like these varieties

  • See also Marjorie's Seedling
    Marjorie's Seedling
    Marjorie's Seedling is an easy to grow, late-season, heavy cropping purple/black plum.
  • See also Opal
    Opal
    Opal is an early plum variety with a good flavour, self-fertile and very easy to grow.
  • See also Victoria
    Victoria
    Victoria is the definitive English plum, attractive fruit, good for eating, outstanding flavour for cooking.

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