Plum

Fragrant white blossoms open on American plum in early spring, feeding bees and other early pollinators. Its sweet-tart fruit is ideal for fresh eating, jams, jellies, and pies. This native forms dense thickets that serve as windbreaks, wildlife cover, and erosion control along slopes and field edges. It is hardy and adaptable, tolerating cold winters, drought, and imperfect soil. The seed inside each plum pit needs months of cold, moist rest before sowing, mimicking the winter they would spend on the ground beneath the parent tree.