Mongolian Cherry vs Canada Plum - TreeTime.ca

Mongolian Cherry vs Canada Plum

Prunus fruticosa

Prunus nigra

CUSTOM GROW

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Mongolian Cherry
Canada Plum

Mongolian Cherry is a hardy shrub that is often grown as an ornamental. This plant makes an attractive flowering hedgerow that requires little maintenance. The dark red cherries are tart and desirable for baking, wine-making, and canning. This shrub is popular with wildlife.

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.

Mongolian Cherry Quick Facts

Canada Plum Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 2b
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: medium
Suckering: high


Fall colour: attractive yellow, gold
Bark: grey and scaly with age
Flowers: clusters of white flowers
Flowers: white
Fruit: tart dark red cherry
Fruit: under 1 inch round yellow fruits with red blush to completely red, tart skin with sweet flesh
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: MB, ON, QC, NB
Other Names: dwarf cherry, european dwarf cherry, steppe cherry
Other Names: american plum, black plum, canada plum, horse plum, wild plum