Organic Orchard Notes with Sue Robishaw - Growing Mont Royal Plum on the Homestead

"Mount (Mont) Royal Plum has a very interesting history. It originated in Canada. The Jesuit missionaries and French settlers brought European plum varieties with them when they settled in Canada. Mt. Royal plum supposedly originated from crosses made from plum seedlings by these hardy settlers near Montreal. While many of the original European plums and crosses made did not survive for long in this extreme cold climate, Mt. Royal was selected as it survived, thrived and produces very good fruit. ... The plums turn blue in the end of August or early September but they are not good for eating till at least two weeks later in the Edmonton area."

2022 - May 22 (day before 26 deg freezes for two nights). Plum 1 and 2 had blossoms 1/2 - 3/4 were open, while Northern Blue and Mont Royal each had a few tight buds. Euro's started opening May 17 while Plum 1& 2 in petal fall but still had some blossoms open and a few more buds. All full of small pollinators, few bumbles. No fruit but the bloom gives hope for next year.

2021 - Hot, dry spring. 5/18-21 all plums in full bloom, including a few blossoms on MontRoyal and many on rootstock. 5/27 four nights of freezes 24-30 deg. No fruit. Graft doing fine but continues smaller than rootstock branches. Northblue stronger but it is the central leader not a side branch (and a different rootstock).

2020 - Healthy, growing fine. Rootstock vigorous, branches tending to overwhelm, need to keep pruned back.

2019 - scion from Bob Purvis - grafted to east branch of House Plum2. Grew well, healthy, 6" tip +3 sides. American Plum House2 2018

2018 - House Plum2 healthy, good growth.

2016 - rootstock House American Plum2 - transplanted sucker from old (I assume) American Plum planted by House in mid 1980's (see American Plum page). Center of three plums in south-central section of orchard.

Online Notes: Tree: upright to spreading, open center, moderate vigor, self-fertile and a good pollenizer of other European plums. Fruits are round, medium sized, light blue skin with greenish-yellow, juicy, semi-freestone sweet flesh, excellent for fresh eating, O.K. for drying, ripe late August in central MN. It has survived -44F in W central MN. ... firm prune plum, semi freestone. Is a better tasting plum (than Pembina). Mid to late September. Genetic semi-dwarf. ---Chance seedling, Outremont, Québec, before 1903. Popular plum in Québec and the northern U.S. for many years. Also called Mont-Royal. Discovered by Mr. Corse in or near Montréal sometime between 1830 and 1850. Bears abundant annual crops of medium-sized roundish dark purple fruit. Often considered the sweetest of the European plums. The flesh is greenish-yellow, juicy and firm. Use fresh, dried, frozen, canned and in preserves. Medium-sized tree is open with good crotch angles and requires only moderate pruning. Z3

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