Old Green Gage plum trees
Prunus domestica - Picking season: Late Late August / early September
- Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
- Flowering group: 3
Old Green Gage is the definitive "gage", and often considered the best flavoured of any plum variety.
It is described by Victorian fruit enthusiast Robert Hogg as "tender, melting, and very juicy, with a rich, sugary and most delicious flavour", whilst H.V. Taylor in 'The Plums of England' (1949) rates it as "For all purposes unsurpassed".
Taylor also mentions the "light and uncertain" crops which is the main horticultural issue with Old Green Gage - although in our experience cropping can be good once the tree is established. In any case this is a small price to pay for such excellence of flavour.
Compared to the attractive colouring of most plums, the appearance of Old Green Gage plums are fairly plain dull green colour, turning slightly yellow when ripe. However this is one that you grow for flavour - for eating fresh it is exceptional.
Old Green Gage plum trees for sale
Pot-grown
All our pot-grown trees are grown for us to our specification by the Frank P Matthews nursery.
All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.
PG12-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree VVA-1 rootstock£62.00
Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
Medium tree
(2m-3m after 10 years)
PG22-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree St. Julien rootstock£60.50
Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
PG3Premium half-standard 12L pot-grown tree St. Julien rootstock£63.50
Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Out of stock
Please try next season
Bare-root
BR12-year bush-trained bare-root treeVVA-1 rootstock£49.75
Medium tree
(2m-3m after 10 years)
Out of stock
Please try next season
BR21-year bare-root treeSt. Julien rootstock£38.75
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Out of stock
Please try next season
BR32-year bush-trained bare-root treeSt. Julien rootstock£47.50
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Out of stock
Please try next season
BR42-year half-standard bare-root treeSt. Julien rootstock£51.00
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Out of stock
Please try next season
BR51-year bare-root treeBrompton rootstock£41.25< 5 in stock
Very large tree
(4m-7m after 10 years)
Out of stock
Please try next season
Need help? Ask our fruit tree experts
Call us on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.
Tree specification
Photos of trees as supplied |
Tree sizes and forms
Next deliveries
Order now for delivery from week commencing 31st March
Delivery charges
Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.
Growing and Training
The gages are more fussy in their growing requirements than other plums and Old Greengage is no exception. It is worth remembering that the natural home of most gages is France and Italy - so for more northerly climates such as the UK you need to choose a sunny sheltered spot in the garden for the best results. Fan-training on a south-facing wall is also a good option.
However although it likes a warm sunny summer, Old Green Gage is surprisingly hardy and will tolerate cold winter weather.
Old Greengage is generally considered partially self-fertile but having another pollination partner nearby will definitely help to improve cropping. Old Greengage can be pollinated by most other plum and gage varieties.
If the tree sets a lot of fruit after a good spring, be sure to thin the fruitlets, otherwise the plums will be small and have less flavour.
Recommended pollinators for Old Green Gage plum trees
Old Green Gage is not self-fertile, so you will need another different but compatible variety planted nearby in order to produce fruit.
The following varieties are good pollinators for Old Green Gage.
If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us.
More pollinators >
VictoriaVictoria is the definitive English plum, attractive fruit, good for eating, outstanding flavour for cooking.
OpalOpal is an early plum variety with a good flavour, self-fertile and very easy to grow.
Cambridge GageCambridge Gage is a reliable green gage, similar to Old Green Gage, with an excellent flavour.
Marjorie's SeedlingMarjorie's Seedling is an easy to grow, late-season, heavy cropping purple/black plum.
CzarCzar is a traditional culinary plum, one of the easiest plums trees, will even fruit on north-facing walls.
History
Old Green Gage has a fascinating history. The gages are usually included within the European plum species Prunus domestica, but are nevertheless a distinct sub-group, being smaller and more spherical, and usually green or yellow in colour. They have been cultivated in France since the Middle Ages, having been introduced from Italy. In France the many different varieties of green-skinned gages are known collectively as "Reine Claude" after Queen Claude, the wife of Francis I who ruled France from 1515 to 1547. Old Green Gage is believed to be the same variety as the French Grosse Reine Claude.
It is generally thought that Old Green Gage was introduced to England from France in the 18th century by Sir William Gage, who lived at Bury St. Edmunds and obtained a tree from his brother who was a priest living in Paris. As a result of his promotion of this new variety all green plums tend to be known as "Gages" in the UK. However, whilst Sir William is undoubtedly responsible for the English name, and the Old Green Gage in particular, there is some evidence that his was in fact a re-introduction of a variety already widely grown in England known as Verdoch, which may have come to England from Italy in the Middle Ages.
Old Green Gage characteristics
- Gardening skillExperienced
- Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
- Flowering group3
- Pollinating othersAverage
- Climate suitabilityTemperate climates
- Picking seasonLate
- CroppingGood
- Keeping (of fruit)1-3 days
- Food usesEating fresh
- Country of originFrance
- Period of origin1550 - 1599
- Blossom colourWhite
- Fruit colourGreen
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.
Find out more
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.
Find out more.
More about plum trees
Eating plums, also known as dessert plums, offer some of the sweetest flavours possible in the temperate garden, rivaling the best of tropical fruits. We particularly rate Avalon, Oullins Gage, Cambridge Gage, Coe's Golden Drop, Old Green Gage, and Opal.
There are several things you can do, as the gardener, to enhance the flavours of these sweet fruits. Firstly, try to plant the tree in full sun - because it is sunlight that ripens the fruits and ensures the maximum sweetness. Secondly, thin the fruitlets in June. To be fair, thinning plum fruitlets is a tedious job, but it is well worth doing because most plum varieties set too many fruits, which leads to poorer fruit size and bland flavours. So if you think your tree has over-set, carefully prune off the developing fruitlets, and don't be surprised if you end up removing half of them or even more - the tree will reward you later on.
