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Victoria plum

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Victoria

The Victoria plum is by far the most popular plum variety in the UK.  It is also probably the most popular fruit tree of any species sold in UK garden centres, being self-fertile and well-known for heavy crops of very attractive fruit with a lovely red-plum colour.  English gardeners wanting to grow a plum tree tend to look no further, and with good reason.

As the name suggests, Victoria dates from the Victorian era but not much is known about its origins.  It was introduced in the 1840s and rapidly became a popular garden and commercial variety - a position it has maintained ever since.

Victoria really excels as a culinary plum.  It cooks to a distinctive pink/orange puree which makes very good jam and a good-flavoured filling for pies and crumbles.

Victoria plums are sometimes considered inferior to other dessert plum varieties for eating fresh.  However this assumption is probably based on the poor flavour of shop-bought Victoria plums, which are usually picked far too early.  The trick with Victoria is to leave the plums on the tree until they are fully ripe - the skins will start to become a darker red rather than the more usual orange flushed colour.  At this point the flavour, whilst not perhaps comparable with the best dessert plums, should not disappoint.  (However, if you are intending to use the plums for cooking with, then it is best to pick them slightly under-ripe).

This combination of excellent culinary qualities along with pretty good flavour for eating fresh makes Victoria one of the most versatile English plum varieties.  However Victoria suffers from two serious problems.  Firstly it has very poor disease resistance to the plum disease silverleaf.  This is a fungal disease that enters through open wounds in the bark, and for this reason Victoria plum trees, like all plum trees, should never be pruned in winter - in fact it is best to avoid pruning entirely with this variety.

Secondly, the wood is brittle, and given its tendency to over-crop, tends to result in branches breaking under the weigh of fruit - which of course are then exposed to disease infection.

Growing a Victoria plum tree is therefore a good way to gain first-hand experience of silverleaf.  However whilst fruit trees that are prone to disease are often best avoided, paradoxically, Victoria is a very easy variety to grow - the inherent heavy-cropping capability means the tree tends to keep going regardless of the inevitable disease and broken branches it accumulates within a few years.  It is therefore a very good choice for the gardener who wants to grow fresh plums, (although given its tendency to lose branches, perhaps not as a specimen tree).

Victoria plum identification images

All images copyright Orange Pippin unless otherwise stated.

  • Victoria
  • Victoria
  • Victoria

USDA identification images for Victoria

The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.

    Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.

    Offspring of this variety


    Visitor reviews

    • 10 May 2020  MERSEYSIDE, United Kingdom
      I have an allotment where I am getting suckers, from the Victoria plum in the next plot, coming up in my raspberry patch. Having read the post by Adrian (2012) about the quality of suckers, I want to know whether there may be in any drawbacks to keeping a sucker in amongst the raspberries, which are in a 3x3m patch in the open. the main sucker is only about 3m from the mother tree.
    • 26 Aug 2012  SUFFOLK, United Kingdom
      When my mother moved into her South London house in 1956 there was a mature Victoria Plum at the bottom of her garden. It produced heavy crops all through my childhood. Eventually it succumbed to silver leaf disease and was cut down. However suckers had come up in a neighbours garden. These grew into a mature tree, we continued to eat the plums for many years hanging over the fence. This too succumbed to silver leaf, however we still eat the fruit from another suckered tree in the next garden, which still hangs over my mothers fence. This tree is not very healthy now but we have had 56 years of fruit from essentially the same tree and it was mature when we arrived!
    • 08 Feb 2011  WARWICKSHIRE, United Kingdom
      We inherited a Victoria Plum, which was mature when we moved into our property in 1985. The tree consistently produced excellent crops of delicious plums. It contracted silver leaf disease and significant die back and had to be taken down a couple of years ago. It produced fruit for at least 40 years and I thoroughly recommend it.

    Tree register

    United States

    United Kingdom

    Denmark

    France

    Ireland

    Australia

    Poland

    Spring blossom records for this variety

    2022 season

    • 15th April  2022  - tree owned by James in Glynn, Ireland
    • 2nd April  2022  - tree owned by Paul in Southport, United Kingdom
    • 27th March  2022  - tree owned by Richard in Objat, France

    2021 season

    • 8th April  2021  - tree owned by James in Melbourne, United Kingdom

    2020 season

    • 10th April  2020  - tree owned by James in Glynn, Ireland

    2018 season

    • 20th April  2018  - tree owned by David in Hove, United Kingdom
    • 15th April  2018  - tree owned by Paul in Southport, United Kingdom
    • 7th April  2018  - tree owned by Andrew in BELFAST, United Kingdom

    2017 season

    • 3rd October  2017  - tree owned by Neville in Tea Tree Gully, Australia
    • 10th April  2017  - tree owned by Hugh in Kingsbridge, United Kingdom
    • 28th March  2017  - tree owned by Ken in Romford, United Kingdom

    2016 season

    • 8th October  2016  - tree owned by Neville in Tea Tree Gully, Australia
    • 13th April  2016  - tree owned by Paul in Southport, United Kingdom

    2015 season

    • 23rd September  2015  - tree owned by Neville in Tea Tree Gully, Australia
    • 21st April  2015  - tree owned by Paul in Southport, United Kingdom

    2014 season

    • 19th June  2014  - tree owned by Nicola in Howden, United Kingdom
    • May  2014  - tree owned by Paul in Southport, United Kingdom
    • 24th April  2014  - tree owned by Neil in Knowle, United Kingdom
    • 12th April  2014  - tree owned by Bruce in Taunton, United Kingdom
    • 2nd April  2014  - tree owned by Zoe in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
    • 13th March  2014  - tree owned by Esiah in London, United Kingdom

    2013 season

    • 8th May  2013  - tree owned by Graham in Blackburn, United Kingdom
    • 6th May  2013  - tree owned by Paul in Southport, United Kingdom
    • 1st May  2013  - tree owned by Richard in York, United Kingdom
    • May  2013  - tree owned by stanwatt2008@hotmail.co.uk in Gardenstown, United Kingdom
    • 25th April  2013  - tree owned by David in Ewerby Thorpe, Sleaford, United Kingdom
    • April  2013  - tree owned by John in Congleton, United Kingdom
    • March  2013  - tree owned by John in Ayr, United Kingdom

    2012 season

    • 18th April  2012  - tree owned by Nickkk in Oldham, United Kingdom
    • 18th April  2012  - tree owned by stanwatt2008@hotmail.co.uk in Gardenstown, United Kingdom
    • 7th April  2012  - tree owned by Peter in Peterborough, United Kingdom
    • 5th April  2012  - tree owned by Alan in Chippenham, United Kingdom
    • 4th April  2012  - tree owned by Bruce in Taunton, United Kingdom
    • 28th March  2012  - tree owned by Simon in Duleek, Ireland
    • 24th March  2012  - tree owned by David in Gateshead, United Kingdom

    2011 season

    • 9th April  2011  - tree owned by Peter in Peterborough, United Kingdom
    • 6th April  2011  - tree owned by Richard in York, United Kingdom
    • 5th April  2011  - tree owned by Simon in Duleek, Ireland
    • 4th April  2011  - tree owned by David in Ewerby Thorpe, Sleaford, United Kingdom
    • 4th April  2011  - tree owned by James in Melbourne, United Kingdom
    • 1st April  2011  - tree owned by Alan in Chippenham, United Kingdom

    2010 season

    • 18th April  2010  - tree owned by N. in Cambridge, United Kingdom
    • 1st April  2010  - tree owned by Nikolai in Dublin, Ireland

    2009 season

    • 3rd April  2009  - tree owned by N. in Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.


    Harvest records for this variety

    2022 season

    • 1st week August  2022  - tree owned by Paul in Southport, United Kingdom

    2018 season

    • 3rd week August  2018  - tree owned by Andrew in BELFAST, United Kingdom

    2017 season

    • 3rd week August  2017  - tree owned by John in Congleton, United Kingdom
    • 3rd week August  2017  - tree owned by Ken in Romford, United Kingdom

    2016 season

    • 1st week September  2016  - tree owned by Ken in Romford, United Kingdom
    • September  2016  - tree owned by Elaine in Mold, United Kingdom
    • September  2016  - tree owned by Elaine in Mold, United Kingdom
    • September  2016  - tree owned by Elaine in Mold, United Kingdom
    • 4th week August  2016  - tree owned by Hugh in Kingsbridge, United Kingdom

    2015 season

    • 2nd week August  2015  - tree owned by Leslie in Edinburgh, United Kingdom
    • August  2015  - tree owned by Paul in Southport, United Kingdom

    2014 season

    • 4th week September  2014  - tree owned by Esiah in London, United Kingdom
    • September  2014  - tree owned by Paul in Southport, United Kingdom

    2013 season

    • 3rd week September  2013  - tree owned by John in Congleton, United Kingdom
    • 3rd week September  2013  - tree owned by Richard in York, United Kingdom
    • 2nd week September  2013  - tree owned by Paul in Southport, United Kingdom
    • 3rd week August  2013  - tree owned by John in Ayr, United Kingdom

    2012 season

    • 1st week September  2012  - tree owned by Zoe in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
    • 1st week September  2012  - tree owned by Richard in York, United Kingdom
    • September  2012  - tree owned by Janet in St Austell, United Kingdom
    • September  2012  - tree owned by Janet in St Austell, United Kingdom
    • 3rd week July  2012  - tree owned by Kurt in Windsor, United Kingdom

    2011 season

    • 1st week September  2011  - tree owned by Mark in Saddleworth, United Kingdom
    • 3rd week August  2011  - tree owned by Simon in Duleek, Ireland
    • 3rd week August  2011  - tree owned by Peter in Peterborough, United Kingdom
    • 2nd week August  2011  - tree owned by James in Melbourne, United Kingdom

    2010 season

    • 3rd week August  2010  - tree owned by Nikolai in Dublin, Ireland
    • 2nd week August  2010  - tree owned by Dianne in Newport, United Kingdom

    2009 season

    • 1st week August  2009  - tree owned by Dianne in Newport, United Kingdom
    • July  2009  - tree owned by Hazel in Cheadle Hulme, United Kingdom

    Origins

    • Species: Prunus domestica - European plum
    • Originates from: Alderton, Sussex, United Kingdom
    • Introduced: 1840s

    Identification

    • Awards: RHS AGM (current)
    • Country of origin: United Kingdom
    • Period of origin: 1800 - 1849
    • Fruit colour: Red
    • Flower colour: White
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Popularity: Best sellers
    • Annual cycle: Deciduous

    Using

    • Cling-stone: Freestone
    • Picking season: Mid
    • Keeping (of fruit): 1 week
    • Flavour quality: Exceptional
    • Cropping: Heavy
    • Fruit persistence: Ripens over a period
    • Food uses: Eating fresh
    • Food uses: Culinary
    • Food uses: Dual purpose
    • Picking period: mid-August
    • Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators

    Growing

    • Gardening skill: Beginner
    • Flowering group: 3
    • Pollinating others: Good
    • Vigour: Slightly large
    • Bearing regularity: Regular
    • Organic culture: Suitable
    • Attractive features: Attractive fruit
    • Self-fertility: Self-fertile

    Climate

    • Frost resistance of blossom: Good resistance
    • Climate suitability: Temperate climates
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Cool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)
    • Cold hardiness (RHS): H5 (to -15C)
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Cold (< 20C / 67F)

    Other qualities

    • Disease resistance: Poor
    • Plum pox virus / Sharka: Some susceptibility
    • Silverleaf: Very susceptible

    Where to buy trees

    The following tree nurseries offer Victoria plum trees for sale:


    Where to buy fresh fruit

    The following orchards grow Victoria:

    United Kingdom




    References

    • Fruit Expert
      Author: Hessayon

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