Opata Cherry Plum vs Debbies Gold Apricot - TreeTime.ca

Opata Cherry Plum vs Debbies Gold Apricot

Prunus besseyi x salicina Opata

Prunus × Debbies Gold

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Opata Cherry Plum
Debbies Gold Apricot

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.

Debbie’s Gold Apricot is a cold-hardy variety known for its firm, sweet, and aromatic fruit. The white to pink flowers bloom several days later than other varieties, making them less susceptible to spring frosts. Their orange-yellow, freestone apricots ripen from late July to mid August and are well-suited for fresh eating, baking, canning, and preserves.

Debbie’s Gold Apricot is generally considered to be partially self-pollinating, but planting with another variety for cross-pollination can increase yields.

Note: While the bloom time is later than other varieties, the flowers are still vulnerable to spring frosts, which can reduce or eliminate the fruit crop.

Opata Cherry Plum Quick Facts

Debbies Gold Apricot Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: upright to spreading
Spreading: suckering - low
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: high


Flowers: white to pink
Bloom time: early to mid spring
Fruit: skin green and red, flesh yellow-green
Fruit: freestone apricots
Fruit size: 3 cm in diameter
Fruit size: 3-4cm in diameter
Flavor: pleasant and sweet, hint of acidity
Flavor: sweet, aromatic
Harvest: mid to late August
Harvest: mid to late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: opata chum, opata plum cherry