Shiro plum

In our experience growing Shiro on the north edge of Guelph, it is a vigorous, cold hardy tree. Its flowers are beautiful in the spring, and it produces slightly oval golden plums that are excellent for fresh eating or processing. As evidence of both vigour and beauty, the video on this page is of our Shiro plum in its third spring since being planted as a young tree.

Shiro is one of famed plant breeder Luther Burbank’s most famous trees, for good reason. The fruits are juicy, sweet, and clingstone, and the tree generally produces high yields.

Like other plums, Burbank has beautiful white flowers that light up your yard in spring. And like all Japanese plums, Burbank blooms a little earlier than European plums, so there is a risk that, in some locations where the spring started out hot, a particularly late frost may damaged flowers that had already opened.

Note: This year we only have one Shiro plum, and it is quite large, hence the slightly higher price and why it is not available for shipping (it would be too difficult to properly package its roots in a box).

Pollination:

Said to be partially self-fertile, but will more reliably set fruit with another Asian or hybrid plum (i.e. Toka, Burbank) or a native plum, either the Canada plum (Prunus nigra) or American plum (Prunus americana).

Parentage:

A seedling of Wickson, an Asian plum that is a hybrid of Prunus salicina and Prunus simonii. First released to the public in 1899.

References:

Foundation Plant Services: Shiro.

University of Connecticut: Plums.

Jams, Pastries are Great Ways to Use Shiro Plums. 

Image 1, 2, and video: Matt Soltys.

Image 4: Orderings Garden Centres.