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Willingham plum trees

Prunus domestica
Willingham plums
Willingham is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Late
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 3

Willingham is a traditional English Green Gage, and considered by enthusiasts as the finest of all plums that can be grown in the UK.

It has the classic sweet melon-like flavour which marks out the green gages as distinct from regular plums (although nowadays plums and gages are categorised as the same species - Prunus domestica).

It is almost certainly a seedling of Old Green Gage, and therefore a sibling of Cambridge Gage - in fact they are hard to tell apart, but all possess first-rate flavours.

Willingham 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£60.50
    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)

Bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root treeSt. Julien rootstock£38.75
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
    Please try next season
  • BR22-year bush-trained bare-root treeSt. Julien rootstock£47.50
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR32-year half-standard bare-root treeSt. Julien rootstock£51.00
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR41-year bare-root treeBrompton rootstock£41.25
    Very large tree (4m-7m after 10 years)

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 24th February.

Delivery charges

Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.

Growing and Training

Willingham is partially self-fertile, like Cambridge Gage and Old Green Gage, and in a good spring can set a full crop. However as with all gages a pollination partner (of a different variety) is useful to improve cropping.

Recommended pollinators for Willingham plum trees

Willingham 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 Willingham. If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us. More pollinators >

  • Pollinator Victoria
    Victoria
    Victoria is the definitive English plum, attractive fruit, good for eating, outstanding flavour for cooking.
  • Pollinator Opal
    Opal
    Opal is an early plum variety with a good flavour, self-fertile and very easy to grow.
  • Pollinator Cambridge Gage
    Cambridge Gage
    Cambridge Gage is a reliable green gage, similar to Old Green Gage, with an excellent flavour.
  • Pollinator Marjorie's Seedling
    Marjorie's Seedling
    Marjorie's Seedling is an easy to grow, late-season, heavy cropping purple/black plum.
  • Pollinator Czar
    Czar
    Czar is a traditional culinary plum, one of the easiest plums trees, will even fruit on north-facing walls.

History

Discovered in Willingham, a village in Cambridgeshire, in the 19th century. It is almost certainly a seedling of Old Green Gage. Interestingly it has only come to prominence relatively recently, and was seemingly little known in the region where it arose.


Willingham characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Flowering group3
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climatesMild damp climatesWarm climates

Using

  • Picking seasonLate
  • CroppingGood
  • Keeping (of fruit)1-3 days
  • Food usesEating fresh

Identification

  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin1800 - 1849
  • Blossom colourWhite
  • Fruit colourGreen - light

British-grown trees Trees grown in the UK.

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.


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