'Santa Rosa' Japanese Plum

Santa Rosa is the benchmark Japanese plum for home orchards. Fruits colour to a reddish-purple skin with amber flesh flushed red. The eating experience is what made it famous: aromatic, sweet flesh balanced by a pleasantly tart skin, giving a bright, complex flavour that's excellent straight off the tree.

Ripening late July to August, Santa Rosa plum trees crop reliably in full sun. The fruit is versatile in the kitchen—ideal for fresh eating, jam and compote, baking (tarts, crisps), and dehydrating; its natural acidity makes preserves vivid and flavourful. Expect a cling/semi-cling stone (pit).

Santa Rosa remains a top choice for gardeners who want one superb all-purpose plum.

Common names: Santa Rosa Plum, Santa Rosa Japanese Plum

Edible: Fruit
Harvest timing: Mid- to late summer (July - August)

Scientific name: Prunus salicina 'Santa Rosa'
Light requirements: Full sun 
Full-grown size: Semi-dwarf (12-15' tall x 10-12' wide, smaller with pruning)
Hardiness: Zone 5
Pollination: Partially self-fertile, but cross-pollination with another variety of Japanese plum increases yields.
Wildlife: Flowers attract and feed spring pollinators, like mason bees. Ripe fruit attract mammals.
Origin: Species originates from China. Cultivar bred by Luther Burbank in Santa Rosa, California, and introduced in 1906. Heritage fruit tree.
Noteworthy: It's one of the most widely planted Japanese-type plums in North America. Often used as a "standard" of plum flavour in taste comparisons.