Plum 'Oullins Gage'

'Oullins Gage' (or 'Reine Claude d'Oullins') is a versatile and reliable choice for the UK garden, functioning as both a dessert and culinary fruit. Unlike many other gages, it is quite vigorous and hardy, making it easier to grow in less-than-perfect conditions. The fruit is large, round, and a beautiful pale gold colour when ripe, with a sweet, transparent flesh. It is one of the earliest gages to ripen, usually ready in mid-August. The tree is self-fertile and serves as an excellent pollinator for other plums and gages. In spring, it provides a spectacular show of white blossom. While it can be grown as a free-standing tree, it also responds well to being trained as a fan against a wall. It is more tolerant of shade than most other gages, though full sun produces the sweetest fruit. It thrives in most well-drained, fertile soils.

Sun: Full sun to partial shade.

Soil: Any fertile, well-drained soil.

Hardiness: H5 — down to −15°C.

Flowering: Apr.