Flowering Raspberry vs American Plum - TreeTime.ca

Flowering Raspberry vs American Plum

Rubus odoratus

Prunus americana

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Flowering Raspberry
American 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.

American Plum is a cold-hardy wild plum native to North America that grows as a small tree or large multi-stemmed shrub. Small, firm, red plums ripen from mid to late summer; the skin is tough and tart, whereas the flesh is sweet and juicy. While some enjoy eating them 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.

In spring, American Plum produces abundant white to pink flowers that attract a variety of pollinators, providing an important early-season source of nectar and pollen. It also serves as a host plant for numerous moth and butterfly species. In its native range, it is recognized as an important keystone plant, as it has a disproportionately large impact on local ecosystems.

American Plum tolerates a wide range of soil conditions, from acidic to alkaline, and heavy clay. It is well suited to a variety of projects, including fruit orchards for cross-pollination, as well as pollinator plantings, naturalization, and restoration projects.

Flowering Raspberry Quick Facts

American Plum Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Height: 6 m (20 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: rounded to spreading, thicket forming
Spreading: suckering - high
Suckering: high
Maintenance: high
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: leaves, stems, pits contain cyanide
Fall colour: gold to orange
Bark: thornless orange
Flowers: purple
Flowers: fragrant, white
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Fruit: small, red plums
Berries: red to purple, seedy
Fruit size: 2-3cm in diameter
Firmness: firm
Firmness: firm
Flavor: tasteless
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: ON, QC, NS
Native to: SK, MB, ON
Other Names: purple-flowered raspberry, virginia raspberry
Other Names: american wild plum, wild plum