Czar is a large dark black/purple plum, with good astringency and ideal for culinary purposes. It can also be eaten fresh if you leave it to get fully ripe. Rated by Hogg (writing in the 1880s) as an "excellent plum".
The blossom is unusually large for a plum.
**All prices include delivery (except certain fan-trained or espalier-trained trees). We offer a discount on orders of multiple bare-root trees for delivery at the same time - this will be shown at the checkout.
Fan-trained and Espalier trees: Prices of these trees do NOT include delivery as these require special delivery arrangements - click here for details.
Delivery period: Pot-grown trees can be delivered from September onwards. Bare-root trees can be delivered from mid-November onwards. Within those periods you can specify your preferred month of delivery during the checkout process. It is best to order as soon as you can to ensure items are reserved for you.
*Mature heights: Height shown is the approximate height of the tree when mature (after 5-10 years), not the height when supplied. See photos of trees as supplied. Actual mature heights may vary considerably dependent on your local conditions and training and pruning regime.
Stock availability: Items showing as 'sold out' will probably be available again next season. If you would like to reserve in advance use our enquiry form - this does not commit you to anything.
Czar is self-fertile and does not need a pollination partner, although fruiting may be improved if there is a compatible tree of a different variety nearby. Since it flowers in the middle of the blossom season it can be pollinated by most other plum trees.
Our online pollination checker lists suitable pollination partners for this variety.
More advice about pollination.
Czar is an excellent choice for less than ideal conditions. It is reliable, heavy-cropping, self-fertile, and can be grown shade or north-facing situations if necessary. The tree is compact and attractive. Czar has average disease resistance but good frost resistance.
Planting instructions.
Pruning instructions.
Raised in Hertfordshire in the 1870s, UK, a cross between Prince Englebert and Early Rivers, and named in honour of the Emperor of Russia who was visiting England at the time. Quite widely grown in the UK as a commercial plum variety.