Blue Tit plum
A popular and reliable English culinary plum which can also be eaten fresh.
Blue Tit is an interesting example of crossing a gage (Green Gage) with a plum (Czar). In this case the result is very much a plum rather than gage-like, and can perhaps be considered as a superior version of Czar. It inherits Czar's excellent reliability, self-fertility, and heavy cropping. Like Czar, Blue Tit is generally considered a culinary plum, but when fully ripe it has some of the gage-like flavour of Green Gage and makes a very acceptable dessert plum. It is also not quite as hardy as Czar, and like most gages prefers a sheltered sunny aspect.
Summary
- Species: Prunus domestica
- Parentage: Czar x Green Gage
- Origin: Bedford, United Kingdom
- Developed by: Laxton Brothers
- Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 159600
Identification
- Fruit colour: Blue
- Flesh colour: Yellow
- Fruit size: Medium
- Fruit shape: Oval / round
Using
- Good for eating fresh
- Good for cooking
- Flavour quality: Very good
- Flavour style: Sweet/Sharp
- Ripening period: Mid season
- Use / keeping: 1-3 days
Growing
- Cropping: Good
- Flowering period: Mid-Late season
- Flowering group: 4
- Fertility: Self-fertile
- Vigour: Slightly small
- Gardening skill: Very easy
- General disease resistance: Good
Climate
- Suitable for temperate climates
Other qualities
- RHS Award of Garden Merit 1995
Relationships to other varieties
Parents and other ancestors of this variety:
- Czar (parent)
- Old Green Gage (parent)
Fruit tree register
Do you have a tree of this variety in your garden or orchard? If so please register the details here and contribute to our international register of fruit trees.
The following Blue Tit trees have been registered - click the name to view more details of each tree.
You can also view these trees on a map.
United Kingdom
- Graham Silcocks in HATHEROP, GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Mature heights for Blue Tit trees
This table shows the likely mature height for a Blue Tit tree taking into account the vigor of the variety, the rootstock, and soil conditions.
| Rootstock | Soil quality | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor | Below average | Average | Above average | Very good | |
| Pixy | 4.8 ft 1.5 m |
6.0 ft 1.8 m |
7.2 ft 2.2 m |
9.0 ft 2.8 m |
10.8 ft 3.3 m |
| St.Julien | 6.0 ft 1.8 m |
7.5 ft 2.3 m |
9.0 ft 2.8 m |
11.3 ft 3.5 m |
13.5 ft 4.1 m |
| Brompton | 9.6 ft 2.9 m |
12.0 ft 3.7 m |
14.4 ft 4.4 m |
18.0 ft 5.5 m |
21.6 ft 6.6 m |
From an idea by N. Buck - more details.
Plum, gage, damson trees
The following fruit tree nurseries offer Blue Tit plum trees for sale:
-
Orange Pippin Fruit Trees (UK)
United Kingdom Supplier's website >>
Where to buy plums to eat
No orchards have registered as growing this variety. If you grow this and want to register please go to our Orchard Registration form.
Rate this variety for flavor