Why plant Audubon® Native American Plum?
Mark the arrival of spring with a blizzard of snow-white Plum blossoms! This spritely native fruit tree will light up your landscape each year. More than just a pretty picture, though, Wild Plum is a boon to wildlife. The flowers provide nectar and pollen to honey bees, bumblebees, mining bees, carpenter bees, and sweat bees, and the small, sweet-tart fruits feed grouse, jays, quail, and foxes (and you!). Best of all for birds, however, is the habitat that Wild Plum supplies. The dense, twiggy growth is ideal for low-canopy-nesting birds, such as mockingbirds, vireos, Brown Thrashers, cardinals, Mourning Doves, and sparrows.
Wild Plum, a.k.a. American Plum, brightens wild spaces over much of the United States. Its natural range extends from New Hampshire to Florida and west to Montana and Oklahoma. Left to its own devices, this small tree sends up suckers all around the parent plant and becomes a dense thicket. These shrubby oases are prime habitat for quail, who often need to take cover from hawks and other predators. The fruits are a bonus for them! Songbirds appreciate Wild Plum not only for the nesting habitat it affords, but also for the caterpillars it supplies. These insects make choice baby food for their chicks.
How to use Audubon® Native American Plum in the landscape?
Another creature that appreciates Wild Plum is the incredible Cecropia moth, which lays its eggs on the leaves. With a wingspan of up to seven inches, it is North America’s largest moth species. To see one is an unforgettable experience!
Planting Zones
Hardiness Zone: 3-8
How To Plant Audubon® Native American Plum
Wild Plum is not difficult to grow, and with a little bit of care, it will grow very quickly indeed. Give it as much sun as you can; it will also tolerate light shade. Good drainage is crucial with Plum Trees—be careful not to plant them too deep and never site them in a spot that stays constantly wet. Your tree will need regular water during the first year or two of establishment, but it will be fairly drought tolerant after that. If you’d like to maintain your Wild Plum as a single-stemmed tree, be sure to remove (pull or prune) suckers when they appear.
How To Fertilize
Incorporate Elements Starter Plant food granular form into the soil when planting. If planting in spring or summer, start fertilizing late fall using Elements Starter Plant food granular form on an annual basis each late fall. Continue this for the first three years to get your plant well established.