Digging deeperPlant Library

Other Names:  Myrobalan Plum, Pissard Plum

Description:

A colorful front yard accent tree for the average home landscape, featuring a cloud of light pink flowers in spring and deep purple foliage all season long, ornamental growth habit, hardier and more compact than similar selections of this species

Ornamental Features

Mt. St. Helens Plum is blanketed in stunning clusters of fragrant pink flowers along the branches in mid spring before the leaves. It has attractive deep purple deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves are highly ornamental and turn an outstanding burgundy in the fall. The fruits are showy purple drupes displayed in mid summer.

Landscape Attributes

Mt. St. Helens Plum is a deciduous tree with a shapely oval form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This tree will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds and bees to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Insects
• Disease

Mt. St. Helens Plum is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade

Planting & Growing

Mt. St. Helens Plum will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.