All Red Japanese Plum

A Plum That Lives Up to Its Name

Prunus salicina 'All Red' is exactly what it sounds like: a Japanese plum where the vibrant color runs all the way through. The deep, glossy red skin gives way to sweet, richly flavored red flesh underneath, making it one of the most visually striking fruit trees you can grow in a home orchard or backyard landscape. Harvest time runs mid to late summer, typically July into August depending on your climate, and the fruit delivers the kind of full, sweet-tart plum flavor that grocery store varieties rarely manage.

Spring Beauty Before the Fruit

Long before the plums arrive, the All Red gives you one of spring's best displays. Fragrant white blossoms cover every branch in early spring, drawing in bees and early pollinators before most other trees have even leafed out. The show lasts a couple of weeks and transitions seamlessly into bright green foliage that holds through summer. Come fall, the leaves shift into warm amber and red tones before dropping, giving this tree genuine four-season appeal well beyond its role as a fruit producer.

Versatile and Productive

The All Red Plum is partially self-fertile, meaning it can set a light crop on its own. However, planting a second Japanese plum variety nearby, such as Methley, AU Cherry, or Ozark Premier, will dramatically increase fruit set and the size of your harvest. The two trees don't need to be right next to each other, just within reasonable pollinator range, roughly 50 feet or so.

Mature trees reach 15 to 20 feet tall with a similar spread, making them a great fit for home orchards, larger suburban yards, or anywhere you want a productive tree that also looks good. Fruit typically begins appearing within two to four years of planting a grafted tree.

What to Do with the Harvest

Tree-ripened All Red plums eaten fresh are in a different category from anything you'll find at a store. But the crop is often generous enough to go well beyond fresh eating. The firm red flesh holds up beautifully in preserves, jams, and jellies, and the deep color gives homemade jam a gorgeous ruby hue. These plums are also excellent baked into cobblers, galettes, and tarts, and their slight tartness balances well in savory sauces for pork or poultry.

Bringing It Home

Whether you're starting a home orchard or adding a single productive accent tree to your yard, the All Red Japanese Plum rewards you with ornamental beauty in spring and a reliable, flavorful harvest in summer. Plant it in full sun, give it room to grow, and it will produce for 15 to 25 years with basic annual care.