Flowering Raspberry vs Opata Cherry Plum - TreeTime.ca

Flowering Raspberry vs Opata Cherry Plum

Rubus odoratus

Prunus besseyi x salicina Opata

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Flowering Raspberry
Opata Cherry Plum

The Flowering Raspberry is an ornamental shrubby plant that blooms with fragrant light purple flowers throughout the summer and has a large, decorative foliage of bright green leaves. The flowers resemble that of a wildrose, and the foliage turns a bright yellow in the fall. This cultivar produces small red raspberries, similar to that of a thimbleberry, but the fruit is mostly tasteless.

The Flowering Raspberry, also known as Virginia Raspberry or Purple-Flowered Raspberry, makes a great hedge plant and is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard.

Opata Cherry Plum is considered to be one of the best tasting Cherry Plum varieties. It has a pleasant, sweet flavour and a hint of acidity. They ripen in mid to late August and are well suited to fresh eating, baking, and preserves.

The fruit is closer to a plum than a cherry but is smaller than most plums.The Opata Cherry Plum’s skin is red/green whereas the flesh is yellow-green. The flesh is freestone with a juicy, firm texture. Similar to other stone fruits, it does not store for very long.

The Opata Cherry Plum is a hybrid between a Western Sand Cherry and a Japanese (Chinese) Plum. For fruit production, it needs to be planted with another variety for cross-pollination. Canada Plum and American Plum are considered universal pollinizers.

Flowering Raspberry Quick Facts

Opata Cherry Plum Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Light: any
Light: full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Berries: red to purple, seedy
Fruit size: 3 cm in diameter
Firmness: firm
Flavor: tasteless
Flavor: pleasant and sweet, hint of acidity
Harvest: mid to late August
Flowers: purple
Bark: thornless orange
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Maintenance: high
Maintenance: medium
Suckering: high
Suckering: medium




Other Names: purple-flowered raspberry, virginia raspberry
Other Names: opata chum, opata plum cherry