Plum (Prunus) Haganta® 12L

Haganta® is a modern German plum grown for its large, handsome fruit and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It was bred from 'Čačanska Najbolja' and 'Valor', and grows into a vigorous, upright tree that starts cropping young and fruits reliably year after year. White blossom in spring is followed by large, oval, dark blue plums with a soft bloom, ready to pick in early autumn. Their golden-yellow flesh is sweet, juicy and aromatic, and comes cleanly away from the stone. The plums are delicious eaten straight from the tree and excellent for bottling, baking and preserves. Haganta® is also known for its tolerance of plum pox virus (sharka), a serious disease of plums in Europe. Its spring blossom is valuable for bees and other pollinators.

Plant in full sun in a sheltered spot, ideally facing south or west. It prefers moist but well-drained, fertile soil; improve poorer ground with well-rotted compost or manure before planting. Water well while it establishes and during dry spells as the fruit swells. It is partially self-fertile, so a single tree will set fruit, but planting another plum from the same or a neighbouring flowering group nearby gives heavier crops; 'Victoria', 'Czar' and 'Guinevere' all make good partners. Prune plums in summer rather than winter to reduce the risk of silver leaf and bacterial canker, shaping the tree and removing any dead or crossing branches. Thin heavy crops if needed, and net ripening fruit to keep the birds off. It is hardy across most of the UK (RHS H5). Size depends on the rootstock, with the RHS giving a height of 4–8m and a spread of 2.5–4m within 10–20 years.

Supplied in a 12 litre pot. Each tree is hand-selected before dispatch.

Available from Pengelly Garden Centre.