Damson (Prunus) Farleigh 12L St. Julien A

For sheer reliability, few fruit trees can match the Farleigh damson. This old Kentish variety holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit and has been a cottage garden favourite for generations. White spring blossom, a welcome early source of nectar for bees, is followed each September by branches laden with small, dusky blue-black damsons. Their sharp, rich flavour really comes alive when cooked, so they're ideal for jams, jellies, pies, chutneys and damson gin. It also crops heavily year after year, so there's usually plenty to share.

Farleigh is self-fertile, so you only need one tree, though having another plum, gage or damson nearby will increase the crop. Grafted onto semi-vigorous St. Julien A rootstock, it makes a compact, bushy tree of around 3.5–4m that suits most gardens. It's also a tough variety: very hardy, less troubled by spring frosts than many plums, and resistant to silver leaf. Its dense, spurred branches make a useful hedgerow or wildlife tree too. Plant in full sun in fertile, moist but well-drained soil, and prune only in summer to reduce the risk of silver leaf. Fully hardy (RHS H6). The fruit is delicious cooked, but the stones and leaves shouldn't be eaten, so keep those out of reach of children and pets.

Supplied in a 12-litre pot.

Each tree is hand-selected before dispatch.

Available from Pengelly Garden Centre.