I'm excited to graft and grow a number of new (to me) European plum varieties that I've never tasted. One source of inspiration is the incredible database with pictures, descriptions, bloom and harvest dates for over 300 varieties of plums at:
http://www.brogdale.org.uk/nfc.....plantid=27
I've realized from browsing there that I'm really attracted to the European plums that are described as sweet, flavorful, and orange-fleshed.
One plum that is missing from that site is called "Lyon Apricot". I noticed scion wood for it available at the exchange and couldn't resist. In searching I see it is available from UC Davis but there is no description of the fruit.
Does anybody have experience with this variety, or even tasted the fruit of it? If so, please describe it.
Thanks.
Hi Jafarj the Brogdale site is most definitely an incredible resource, great place to visit too, they have 2 of each of most of the listed varieties in their physical collection. It's where I got the graftwood for most of my plums, pears and apples.
Not heard of Lyon Apricot, which European plums are your favourites?
I've only tasted a few European plum varieties. The only one I can say for sure is "Early Laxton" harvested from my last year. The others that I can recall are all purple/blue prune type plums.
When prunes are available they are generally not labeled, so I don't know which I like and which I don't. Between not knowing the variety and getting most picked before they are ripe, I have no idea whether they were Italian, Brooks, Stanley or any of a number of others. Some were absolutely excellent and inspired my interest in Eropean plums, and others were flavorless or mushy.
From Brogdale, the ones that have caught my eye are:
Bryanston Gage
Cambridge Gage
Coe’s Golden Drop
Drap d’Or d’Esperen
Early Green Gage
Gelbe Fruhe Zwetsche Yellow
Golden Transparent
Grand Prize
Kirke’s
Merton Gage
Mirabelle de Nancy
Old Green Gage
Opal
Queen’s Crown
Reine-Claude Diaphane
Sugar
Woolston Black
Fair's Golden Drop
PEARL
Arch Duke
Jefferson
Early Transparent Gage
I currently have a tree with Early Laxton, Seneca, Italian Prune, and Reine Claude de Bavay. I'll probably graft 4 more varieties onto it this spring.
I have scion wood for:
*Bradley King of Damsons
Count Althann's Gage
French Petite Prune
Green Gage'
*Imperial Epineuse
Italian Prune
*Jefferson
Lyon Apricot
Middleburg
Mount Royal
Oullin's Gague
Peach Plum (Prune Plum)
President
Red Washingotn (European Plum)
Reine Claude Conducta?
*Transparent Gage
Warwickshire Drooper
The ones with the "*" are offhand the ones I think I may graft to my tree but I'm still open for suggestions on what is best. The others I'll likely graft on my sister's unknow Euro plums when I get the chance.
I got these from the Scion Exchange. The other one I had a question about was the "Transparent Gage". In trying to find information I could only find "Early Transparent Gage" and "Golden Transparent Gage". I'm not sure which, if either, this one is.
Jefferson is absolutely wonderful, as are all the gages, Coe's Golden Drop is pretty good too.
Warwickshire Drooper is very good for jam.
There's a lot of confusion on Gages, quite a lot of differently named ones are in fact duplicates of others. Gages do well on their own roots in the UK.
I couldn't recommend Opal, nothing special about it at all. A favourite of mine which you haven't got listed is Blue Tit, quite small, very dark blue and golden flesh, huge amounts of flavour.
I think you could send it plain vanilla first class mail. Since we are relatively close geographically, it should only take a day or two. That has been my experience with another fruit person. If you have some sort of padded mailer that you are looking to recycle (I always use them again) the postage should be under a buck.
I have heard of this Lyon Apricot plum from a fellow in Canyonville, he thought it was worth pursuing, but that was years ago and I have lost all contact in the meantime.
It takes 1 day priority and 2 or 3 first class. Apparently if I send it first class it goes to Seattle first. I don't understand why but my girlfriend told me this after she shipped you the last package and she works for a presort company so they should know.
With my relative inexperience, I didn't know how long it is OK to allow a dormant scion to be at room temperature.
I'm glad to hear somebody said something positive about it. Anything with the word "apricot" in it can't be all bad. I've been warned off of apricots and peaches, thats probably why I'm attracted to these orange-fleshed plums.
Jafar,
When you think about it, a scion is pretty much at ambient temperatures any time it is grafted. I "bet" it would last a week if kept moist.
I am planning on being in your area later this month. See your private email.
Larry
PS for everyone: I still have scion of apple and plum in the frig taken last September for chip budding purposes. Guess what? They are still in excellent shape! I would not have guessed that could be possible. And the plum, being a salicina, has not come out of dormancy yet, as have so many others that were cut off the tree in January and February. Apparently they last a lot longer, dormancy wise, if cut off the tree very early.
[quote="jafarj":2c30kwzx]
I have scion wood for:
*Bradley King of Damsons
Count Althann's Gage
French Petite Prune
Green Gage'
*Imperial Epineuse
Italian Prune
*Jefferson
Lyon Apricot
Middleburg
Mount Royal
Oullin's Gague
Peach Plum (Prune Plum)
President
Red Washingotn (European Plum)
Reine Claude Conducta?
*Transparent Gage
Warwickshire Drooper
[/quote:2c30kwzx]
Jafarj:
I'm very interested in obtaining some scionwood for Warwickshire Drooper. I've not been able to find a source for it here in the States. I guess I'm assuming you're in the States 
Is there any chance I could get some scionwood or budwood of this plum for 2008? I'd be a happy man. Let me know, would you? Thanks!
John
P.S. I've got a number of plums in quarantine currently that I brought in from Brogdale. The only one that's on your wishlist is Drap d'Or d'Esperen. Assuming that I'm able to get the USDA to rid this material of the viruses it may contain, I should be able to send you some in return for the Warwickshire Drooper. Most likely I won't have it until 2009.
John,
Very interesting. I hadn't realized the the quarintine process involved ridding of viruses.
I'll have to check but I probably have 2-3 sticks of the Warwicksire Drooper that I picked up at our local Scion Exchange. I haven't yet grafted it onto a tree, and doubt that once I do It will put on enough growth for me to harvest scion wood for 2008.
I'd be willing to send you one of the sticks now. Otherwise I'm sure some of the Home Orchard Society members have this variety since it was available at the exchange.
I'll look forward to hearing more about the progress of the quarantined Drap d'Or d'Esperen and the possibility of getting some scions.
What other varieties did you bring from Brogdale?
[quote="jafarj":1nr94lte]John,
Very interesting. I hadn't realized the the quarintine process involved ridding of viruses.
I'd be willing to send you one of the sticks now. Otherwise I'm sure some of the Home Orchard Society members have this variety since it was available at the exchange.
I'll look forward to hearing more about the progress of the quarantined Drap d'Or d'Esperen and the possibility of getting some scions.
What other varieties did you bring from Brogdale?[/quote:1nr94lte]
Jafarj:
The quarantine program in Beltsville will attempt to rid material of viruses that is brought into the country. Actually, they can't release it if it has a number of particular viruses or viroids. The problem is the process generally takes years. I brought material into the country in 2005 and was told that I wouldn't have it until 2008 at the earliest. And even that's not a guarantee. But for a number of impossible to find varieties, it's the only (legal) option for getting them.
No need to send the Warwickshire Drooper this year. But I'd be most grateful if you were able to identify the source of the material from your scion exchange. I wouldn't be able to graft anything until next year and I'd like to obtain a number of sticks of it. Would you let me know if you have any leads, even if it's the contact info for the folks who sponsored the Scion Exchange you attended?
I should have Drap d'Or d'Esperen in 2009, as well as the original Sugar plum of Luther Burbank's. I bought them both in directly from Brogdale. I've seen a number of plums here in the States with the name Sugar, but I wanted to make absolutely sure I was getting the one on the Brogdale site.
You'll find the full list of what I'm growing (or will be growing once it comes out of quarantine) by going to http://www.lambabbey.com
Thanks!
John
[quote="jafarj":1p9yrip6]If I'm in the country during next year's scion exchange, I'll probably be able to pick some material up again and would be happy to send it to you. Otherwise, the people who host the Scion Exchange are the same folks who host this forum. The Home Orchard Society.[/quote:1p9yrip6]
Thanks, Jafarj!
John
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
1 Guest(s)