About Cherry Plum Golden Sphere
Golden Sphere cherry plum trees hail from the Ukraine and are readily available through much of Europe. These deciduous plum trees have a rounded to spreading habit. Foliage is ovate and dark green accented by white blooms in the spring. The ensuing fruit is large and golden-yellow outside and in. Cherry plum makes a lovely addition to the garden either as a fruit tree or specimen tree and can be grown in the garden or in a container. Height of cherry plum Golden Sphere at maturity is about 9-11 feet (3 to 3.5 m.), perfect for a smaller landscape and low enough for easy harvest. Golden Sphere is very hardy and fruit is ready for harvest mid-season. It is hardy in the United Kingdom to H4 and in the United States zones 4-9.
How to Grow Golden Sphere Cherry Plums
Bare root cherry plum trees should be planted between November and March while potted trees may be planted any time of year. When growing a Golden Sphere plum, choose a site with well-drained, moderately fertile soil in full sun, at least six hours per day. Prepare the area by removing any weeds; dig a hole that is as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Gently loosen the roots of the tree. Set the tree in the hole, spreading the roots out, and backfill with a mix of half the existing soil and half compost. Stake the tree. Depending upon weather, water the tree deeply with an inch (2.5 cm.) of water per week. Prune the tree in the early spring just before it breaks dormancy. At planting, remove the lowest lateral branches and prune the rest back to around 8 inches (20 cm.) in length. In successive years, remove water sprouts from the main stem as well as any crossing, diseased or damaged branches. If the tree looks cramped, remove some of the larger branches to open the canopy. This type of pruning should be done in the spring or mid-summer.
