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Simple bare root fruit trees and ornamental trees

    Willingham

    Prunus domestica
    Willingham is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators

    Willingham is a traditional English Green Gage, and considered by enthusiasts as the finest of all plums that can be grown in the UK.

    It has the classic sweet melon-like flavour which marks out the green gages as distinct from regular plums (although nowadays plums and gages are categorised as the same species - Prunus domestica).

    It is almost certainly a seedling of Old Green Gage, and therefore a sibling of Cambridge Gage - in fact they are hard to tell apart, but all possess first-rate flavours.

    Willingham plum trees for sale

    • RF11-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
    • RF22-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
    • RF32-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
    • RF41-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

    Willingham is partially self-fertile, like Cambridge Gage and Old Green Gage, and in a good spring can set a full crop. However as with all gages a pollination partner (of a different variety) is useful to improve cropping.


    Recommended pollinators for Willingham plum trees

    Willingham 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 Willingham. If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us. More pollinators >

    • Pollinator Cambridge Gage
      Cambridge Gage
      Cambridge Gage is a reliable green gage, similar to Old Green Gage, with an excellent flavour.
    • Pollinator Czar
      Czar
      Czar is a traditional culinary plum, one of the easiest plums trees, will even fruit on north-facing walls.
    • 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

    Discovered in Willingham, a village in Cambridgeshire, in the 19th century. It is almost certainly a seedling of Old Green Gage. Interestingly it has only come to prominence relatively recently, and was seemingly little known in the region where it arose.


    Willingham characteristics

    • Gardening skillBeginner
    • Fruit persistenceNormal ripening
    • Self-fertile?Not self-fertile
    • Pollinating othersAverage
    • Pick seasonLate
    • Picking monthAugust
    • Picking periodlate August
    • Keeping1-3 days
    • Food usesEating fresh
    • Country of originUnited Kingdom
    • Period of origin1800 - 1849
    • Fruit colourGreen - light

    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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