Mount Royal Plum

Overview

Mount Royal plum has been a reliable European plum variety for northern growers. It is an upright to spreading tree with an open center and moderate vigor.

Flavor and Uses

The light blue plums are juicy, semi-freestone, and have sweet flesh. They are excellent for fresh eating, okay for drying, and ripen in late August to early September.

Cold Hardiness

Mount Royal has survived temperatures as low as -44°F in West Central MN and -42°F in Columbus, MT, proving its hardiness in extreme conditions. UPDATE FALL 2025: We just discovered that Mount Royal has survived and borne a consistent crop in Lodgepole, Montana at MSU's Lodgepole Fruit Research Site, where it has gotten down to sub -45F temps.

Rootstock and Cold Tolerance

Our Mount Royal plums are grafted onto Native Plum and Prairie Red Plum, both of which are hardy to at least -50F. Native Plum is semi-dwarf in our MT climate/soils, although we have found that there is some natural variation in size, as these plants are grown from seed. Prairie Red, meanwhile, exhibits less variation in size according to what Dan Sheild has observed at his site in MN.