March 22, 2025 – Let’s talk Plums!
If you live in or near Vancouver, BC, ornamental plums, Prunus cerasifera, densely lining one or both sides of one or more blocks, are now or will soon be sporting their popcorn-looking blossoms. They come in pink or white, the white ones opening first, and usually both colours open at the same time. They are hard to miss – Vancouver city itself has around 17,000 of them planted as street trees.
Compare the two photos above, plum buds on the left, ‘Akebono’ cherry buds on the right. These are easy to distinguish if you take the time to get up close.
- Plum buds are round; cherry buds are pointed
- Plum buds are singles – one bud opens to one flower; cherry buds open to reveal three-to-five flowers, all wrapped together in the single bud scale.
- Plum tree leaves appear when the flowers open; in this early part of the season, no cherry trees open their leaves when the flowers open.
- Plum blossoms might be fragrant; the early cherries have little to no scent.