Czar Plum Trees

• Variety: Czar, the cooking and jam Plum that is easy to grow
• Latin name: Prunus domestica 'Czar'
• Use: Cooking and jam. Good to eat when fully ripe
• Sold as: Bareroot maiden, bush and half-standard
• Rootstock: St Julien A
• Mature size: Kept at 3 to 4m. 4.5 to 5m if left unpruned
• Pollination: Group C. Self-fertile, and a good pollinator for other Plums
• Picking: Early August
• Frost: Less prone to frost damage than most Plums
• Position: Full sun for the best crop. More tolerant of shade than most
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• RHS AGM: Yes (1993)
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Czar is a compact, self-fertile cooking Plum: large, dark blue-purple fruit with sharp yellow flesh that holds together in the pan, ready in early August. It shrugs off frost better than most Plums, crops reliably, and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Czar Plum Trees

Czar Plums are large, dark purple/blue and with sharp, yellow flesh. They're very edible although not as sweet as, say, a Victoria, but they have the real advantage of being one of the best plums for cooking and making jam. The fruit's less juicy than a pure eating plum so it's firmer and holds together better when cooked.

Czar was bred in the 19th-century by Thomas Rivers (perhaps the greatest fruit breeder of his day) and is one of the easiest of the plum trees we sell to grow, a key factor in its Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit. It's an unusually frost-resistant variety and so will do much better than most plums and gages in north-facing and semi-shady sites (please remember that no plum will really crop well in heavy shade: it's just that Czar is more shade tolerant than most). Czar plum trees are self-fertile, fruit from August and are magnificent pollinators of other plums.

If you aren't sure what to do with them, then just try Czar plums in Mary Berry's Plum Crumble, and you will be won over in the first mouthful.

Please note that all our Czar plum trees are on St Julien A rootstocks unless otherwise described.

Planting Companions

Czar crops alone, and it earns its place twice as a pollinator. It flowers in group C with Victoria and Opal, an eating Plum that is only partly self-fertile, so a Czar beside either gives you a cooker, an eater and a better crop on both. Our Plum pollination chart shows every group, and our Plum pruning guide covers the summer cut. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Buy Your Plum Tree from Ashridge?

Ashridge has sold trees since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025. Your Czar Plum tree is grafted onto St Julien A rootstock, and maidens are pre-pruned before despatch for the form you choose. Bareroot trees are lifted to order while dormant and guaranteed for 12 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Czar need a pollination partner?

No. The RHS describes it as a reliably fruiting, self-fertile Plum, so one tree crops alone. It flowers in group C and is a good pollinator for Victoria and Opal.

Can you eat Czar Plums raw?

Yes, when fully ripe, though they are sharper than a Victoria. Czar is grown first as a cooking and jam Plum, because the firm flesh keeps its shape.

Will Czar grow in a cold or shady garden?

Better than most. The RHS notes that it is less susceptible to frost damage than many Plums, and it tolerates some shade. No Plum crops well in heavy shade.

How big does the tree grow?

On St Julien A rootstock, you can keep it at 3 to 4 metres with pruning. Left alone, it reaches 4.5 to 5 metres. Allow about 5 metres between trees.

When are Czar Plums ripe?

In early August. The fruit is a very deep blue when ready.

When should you prune a Plum tree?

In summer, never in winter. Plums can take in silver leaf disease through winter cuts.

When are the trees delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the trees are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your tree is lifted and sent once the season opens.