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Unusual & Old Fashioned Fruit Trees |
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Greengage + Damson Greengage are actually a type of plum that is traditionally a little smaller and rounder. The original Greengages were introduced to Britain 250 Years ago by William Gage and seem to have lost favour to the larger fruited plum.
Although Gages tend to flower later in the season than plums they were not as reliable at producing a good crop. This seems to have changed with modern varieties that will grow both more fruit and larger fruits. Some gages need a partner tree, as do some plums, for pollination to produce fruit, but the fruits are said to have more flavour than plums. As with plums trees they have to be watched for "Silver Leaf" and treated accordingly. Gages can easily be grown as a fan-trained tree, which enables space saving in a small garden and if planted against a south facing wall, they will appreciate the protection afforded as they can be a little tender.
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As
with plum trees, they are grafted on to a rooting stock and it
is this that governs the ultimate size of the tree. Standard and even
half standard trees are generally too large for most gardens with bush
varieties being better suited. However, some trees are available on a
dwarfing stock such as Pixie and will only reach a height of some 15 to
20 feet.
Damsons are another related fruit
that has fallen from favour probably because they are not as sweet as
plums. However, Damsons are much hardier and will thrive where
conditions are impossible for plums. Damsons, such as the old fashioned
Merryweather, and Greengages, were traditionally used for making Jam and
bottling to preserve them, so that people had some fruit available to
eat throughout the year before the modern age with its all year round
fruit imports.