which (dessert) plum/gage?

[purplekat]

Which plum would you choose if you could have only one? (and that will do ok in northern england)

I had a victoria but didn't find it that well flavoured so gave it away to a friend.
I'm looking for new one that has a good flavour

I saw a mirabelle plum at a garden centre last year that had fruit on, I sneakily pinched one and it was lovely, trouble is I don't know if had grown it's own fruit up here or in a greenhouse somewhere else.

Also I've read good things about Lizzie but only from growers!

[FB.]

I would have said Victoria, but as you say - the flavour is nothing special.
The hint of bitterness sometimes noticed in Victoria is in the skin; if you peel the plums, the flavour is much better.

The problem with plums is that they flower so early in the year that frosts often kill the blossom, so they can be very unreliable in more Northern areas (Victoria is about as reliable as you can get).

I would suggest perhaps a mooch through R.V.Roger's website - they're based in Yorkshire, so will have first-hand experience of plums in your area.
They also seem to have some interesting "regional" varieties of fruit trees for special situations.

> Link here <

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[purplekat]

Thanks, I've not heard of them before

[northepaul]

Do you want an eating or culinary plum?
If culinary I would always choose damsons.

[purplekat]

I want an eating plum - for some reason I can't stand any kind of cooked fruit!

[northepaul]

Greengage would be my choice. I have a willingham one which is supposed to be self fertile. Other than that maybe a mirabelle?

[starloc]

I think opal are the best ive tried , i dont like the victoria unless cooked, but in july i found loads of cherry plums both yellow and red ones, the red are great yellow were tasteless, i think the red cherryplums are possibly better than opal

[solway cropper]

I've got an Opal up here in Cumbria and although I only got a handful of fruit this year due to the cold spring the taste was excellent.

[gojiberry]

I was given oulins gage and merryweather damson last year as a present. Unfortunately Not had any fruit yet but the trees have grown well in large tubs in the last year.

Ian