Peking Cotoneaster vs Canada Plum

Peking Cotoneaster is a medium-sized shrub that is well adapted to colder climates. Best suited for use as a hedge, Peking Cotoneaster has dark green foliage that turns a stunning reddish orange in the fall.

Hardy fruit guru, Bernie Nikolai (DBG Fruit Growers), has started to recommend grafting hardy pear varieties to Peking Cotoneaster after his experiences were successful and produced fruit faster than other rootstocks. Remember to leave some nurse limbs if you try this.

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.

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