Varieties of Flowering Plum Trees

Flowering plum trees, Prunus Cerasifera, are small ornamental trees used in landscaping for their richly colored foliage and showy spring flowers. Flowers blossom in small groups of two to three in early spring, often before the leaves. The leaves begin green and transition to a range of deep reds and purple colors through the summer. Flowering plum trees require little maintenance and are a lovely addition to any garden or landscape.

Newport trees are deciduous trees with purple foliage, first introduced in 1923 at the University of Minnesota. Newport trees bear pale pink to white flowers, and some trees develop small 1-inch fruits. Newport trees grow 15 to 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide.

Thundercloud trees are dense deciduous trees with rounded crowns that stand 15 to 25 feet tall and 20 feet wide. Thunderclouds produce pink to white flowers that bloom before the deep purple, elliptical leaves come out. Thundercloud leaves hold their purple color into the fall season.

Krauter Vesuvias trees are a variety of flowering plum tree introduced by Carl Krauter of California in the 1950s. Krauter Vesuvias trees are similar to Thundercloud, except Krauter Vesuvias are more upright, with a tighter spread. Krauter Vesuvias blooms with light pink flowers in the early spring, before its deep burgundy foliage appears. Krauter Vesuvias have some of the darkest foliage of flowering plum trees. Krauter Vesuvias trees stand 15 to 20 feet tall and spread 10 to 15 feet.

Artopurpurea trees stand 15 to 25 feet tall and have foliage that begins red and transitions to deep purple before finishing the summer with greenish bronze leaves. Artopurpurea trees bloom with pink flowers and produce a small plum-like fruit.

Nigra trees are a variety of flowering plum tree that produce single pink flowers, rather than the clusters of two to three common to most varieties. Nigra trees have deep purple foliage throughout the summer. Nigras stand 25 to 30 feet tall and spread 15 to 20 feet.

Purple Ponies are a dwarf variety of flowering plum trees standing only 10 to 12 feet high and spreading up to 10 feet. Purple Ponies are rounded and bloom single pale pink flowers. Purple Ponies have purple foliage throughout the summer season.

Crimson Point trees are a columnar variety of flowering plum tree discovered by Jim Zampini in the Northern Ohio region. Crimson Points stand 25 to 30 feet high and spread up to ten feet. Crimson points have deep purple foliage and bloom white flowers in early spring.