Pygmy Caragana vs Canada Plum - TreeTime.ca

Pygmy Caragana vs Canada Plum

Caragana pygmaea

Prunus nigra

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Pygmy Caragana
Canada Plum

Pygmy Caragana is a shrub that is related to Common Caragana and has a compact size that is suitable for yards with limited space. Its size is perfect for landscaping and decorative hedges, and requires little maintenance. This nitrogen fixer has fine-textured foliage and small yellow flowers. Much like Common Caragana, it is hardy and drought tolerant.

Popular as a low maintenance commercial landscaping shrub and for hedging. This species does have tiny spines that might poke you a bit. It has a nice appealing texture when mature.

Canada Plum is a cold-hardy wild plum native to North America with small red fruit. They ripen in mid to late summer, with bitter, astringent skin surrounding sweet, slightly acidic flesh that clings to the stone. While some enjoy eating the plums fresh, they are more commonly used for baking and preserves. It is considered a universal pollinizer for other plum varieties and is often used for grafting or as a rootstock.

White to pink flowers appear in spring, often before the leaves, providing an early source of nectar and pollen for native bees and other pollinators. Birds and other wildlife also feed on the fruit, adding to its ecological value. Canada Plum can grow as a small tree or large, multi-stemmed shrub. It is well suited to a variety of projects, including fruit orchards for cross-pollination, as well as pollinator plantings, naturalization, and restoration projects.

Pygmy Caragana Quick Facts

Canada Plum Quick Facts

Zone: 2b
Zone: 2b
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: high


Fall colour: attractive yellow, gold
Bark: grey and scaly with age
Flowers: prolific tiny yellow pea-like flowers
Flowers: white
Fruit: under 1 inch round yellow fruits with red blush to completely red, tart skin with sweet flesh
Seeds: prolific seedpods are edible
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: MB, ON, QC, NB
Other Names: pygmy peashrub
Other Names: american plum, black plum, canada plum, horse plum, wild plum