Italian Plum Tree | Bare Root, Zone 3b

Italian Plum (Spring 2027)

$74.99

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns

Pollination Partly self-fertile

Bloom group 4 of 7 (Mid)

See trees that will pollenize it Plum Pollination Map

Ripening

Will it finish before your first hard freeze?

Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)

Disease resistanceResists 1 of 6

Bacterial canker : Unknown, no published data yet
Bacterial spot : Unknown, no published data yet
Black knot : Moderate, 3 of 5
Brown rot : Unknown, no published data yet
Cytospora canker : Susceptible, 2 of 5
Plum pocket : Resistant, 4 of 5

Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.

See it on our plum disease chart (opens in a new tab)

At a glance: Italian Plum is a plum tree rated hardy to zone 3b in our ratings (winters to -35°F), partially self-fertile, so a second variety nearby makes crops more dependable (bloom group 4 of 7, mid for a European plum), and it ripens about Sep 9 to Sep 29 in Missoula (our Missoula estimate).

Hardy to	Zone 3b to 8. The b means the warmer half of zone 3 only (winters to -35°F). Our notes have it taking -25°F. Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Chill hours	About 800 hours (700 to 1,000). Well documented. Independent sources agree. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources.
Pollination	Partially Self-Fertile. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), mid spring here. Italian sets fruit alone but crops better with another European plum such as Stanley or Mount Royal. It will not cross with Asian or American plums. Nearby varieties that can boost the crop: Stanley Plum, Mount Royal Plum, Early Italian Plum, Longjohn Plum and 6 more. Plum Pollination Map.
Ripens	About Sep 9 to Sep 29 in Missoula (a Missoula estimate from published sources). Real years swing about a week either way. See the date for your town.
Rootstock and size	Lovell: full size, about 12 to 20 ft tall unpruned. Doesn't like wet feet or high-lime soil. Our rootstock guide.
Good for	Drying (10/10), pies and baking (9/10), cooking and roasting (9/10), sauce and butter (8/10), canning and freezing (8/10), fresh eating (7/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.
Deer	A deer favorite. Fence it or cage it.
Compare it	Italian vs Mount Royal, side by side on hardiness, pollination, ripening and fruit.
What you get	Bare root, 4-6 ft. - One Year Older or 6-8 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

Overview

One of the most reliable European plums in Western Montana, Italian offers excellent flavor. This large, purple-skinned, freestone plum is super flavorful and very sweet when fully ripe. In Missoula, we wait until the frost gets them before harvesting, as it softens and sweetens the fruit. But don't do leave it on the tree for many consecutive evenings of frost because it will then become bland.

Versatile Uses

Italian plums can be eaten fresh, dried, or cooked, making them a versatile addition to any garden or kitchen.

Cold Hardiness and Growing Zones

A vigorous and fairly cold-hardy plum, Italian is perfect for most areas in Western Montana, unless you're in one of the colder areas (i.e. Potomac). It’s recommended for Zone 4 and it survived -25°F in Missoula on 1/13/24 without showing any signs of injury. Italian's limit, however, in terms of absolute extreme winter low tolerance is likely to -35°F, possibly -40°F if planted in a good area free of frost pooling.

Self-Fertility and Pollination

Italian is partially self-fertile and doesn’t require a pollenizer, though it may fruit more abundantly when planted alongside varieties like President, Stanley, Mirabelle de Bitterroot, or others. It will not cross-pollinate with Asian or American plums.

Questions we get about Italian Plum

Does Italian Plum need a pollenizer?

It helps. Italian Plum is partially self-fertile, so it can set some fruit alone, but a second variety nearby makes crops more dependable. Italian sets fruit alone but crops better with another European plum such as Stanley or Mount Royal. It will not cross with Asian or American plums. Partners we carry include Stanley Plum, Mount Royal Plum, Early Italian Plum.

How cold hardy is Italian Plum?

We rate Italian Plum hardy to zone 3b, which means winters down to about -35°F. Our notes have it taking -25°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.

How many chill hours does Italian Plum need?

About 800 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 700 and 1,000. That figure is well documented: independent sources agree. Nurseries list 700 to 1,000 hours, most often 800. It blooms late, which helps it dodge spring frost. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.

When does Italian Plum ripen?

About Sep 9 to Sep 29 in Missoula, Montana (an estimate built from published sources and our climate). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.

How big does Italian Plum get?

We graft Italian Plum onto Lovell (full size), which makes a tree roughly 12 to 20 ft tall if you never prune it.

What is Italian Plum good for?

Our top use scores for Italian Plum are drying (10/10), pies and baking (9/10), cooking and roasting (9/10), sauce and butter (8/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.

Is Italian Plum disease resistant?

For some diseases, yes. It's resistant to plum pocket. It holds up moderately well against black knot. It's prone to cytospora canker. Nobody has published solid data on it for bacterial canker, bacterial spot and brown rot yet, so we list those as unknown. Our plum disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.