Meritare plum trees
Prunus domestica Meritare is an attractive new early-season plum from Sweden, and can be considered an improved version of the popular Opal plum - which is one of its parents. It has a similar or better flavour, and the fruit-size is much larger.
It is also a good choice if you are looking for an early-season plum to grow in colder climates.
Meritare plum trees for sale
Bare-root
BR11-year bare-root tree St. Julien rootstock £38.75
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Need help? Ask our fruit tree experts
Call us on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.
Next deliveries
Order now for delivery from week commencing 25th November for pot grown trees or December for bare-root or mixed tree orders.
Delivery charges
Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.
Growing and Training
Meritare is reasonably disease-resistant, and cold-hardy in all UK situations.
Meritare is considered too light-cropping by many commercial growers, but for the gardener this is a good thing - lighter crops often mean better flavour, and larger fruit size.
It is a good pollinator for many other plums, damsons and mirabelles, including Mirabelle de Nancy, Avalon, Belle de Louvain, Victoria, Cambridge Gage, Farleigh and Shropshire Prune.
History
Meritare was developed in the 1980s at the Balsgaard research station in southern Sweden. It is a cross between an American dessert plum called Ontario, and the well-known Opal plum from Sweden. (Some authorities state incorrectly that it was developed at the INRA research station in Bordeaux, France).
Meritare characteristics
- Gardening skillAverage
- Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
- Flowering group3
- Pollinating othersAverage
- Climate suitabilityTemperate climatesMild damp climates
- Picking seasonEarly
- CroppingLight
- Keeping (of fruit)1-3 days
- Food usesEating fresh
- Country of originFrance
- Period of origin1950 - 1999
- Blossom colourWhite
- Fruit colourRed
Similar varieties
OpalOpal is an early plum variety with a good flavour, self-fertile and very easy to grow.
British-grown trees 
Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK.
Find out more.
In addition, all our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance.
Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. The scheme aims to improve UK biosecurity by setting standards
for all growers and retailers involved in selling plants in the UK.
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Guaranteed fruit trees
When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden whilst it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund - subject to some conditions.
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