Crimson Point Plum – Spring blossoms, 2015.

Crimson Point Plum – Spring blossoms.

Some of those blossoms turn into fruit. We weren’t sure what to expect, but all three of these trees gave us a bit to eat about July 1st, 2015.

Small plums from the Crimson Pointe Plum tree. They are just over 1″. The flesh is sweet, but the skins are very tart, but we still eat them.

• 20′-25′ tall
• 5′-6′ wide
• Full Sun
• Beautiful spring blossoms
• Small fruit, but edible

I loved this tree in the spring time. The smell and colors and big white lilac type flowers were awesome. Always the first plant to start to bud and bloom in the spring. The end of the spring though, the leaves start to turn from green to red. Which I love that it is not green all summer and adds another color to my other green plants, but the leaves look dried up and almost dead all summer and fall. It quickly becomes one of my least favorite plants and I get excited for the leaves to fall off. If it hadn’t been right in my walkway I might not have minded so much but everyone had to go past it to get to the front door.

• 20-30 Ft Tall
• 18-25 Ft Spread
• Zones 2-7
• Full Sun Partial Shade
• Flowers in Spring

The Bosnian Pine was completely carefree in our last yard and we have planted it again in the new yard. No complaints, super healthy, no pest problems. When we planted it we ran 3′ of perforated drain pipe around the root ball and watered it off the drip system. The pipe let the water get down to the roots instead of running down the hill on the surface. It tolerated the rocky, alkaline soil and put on new growth every year.

At 7-10′ wide, the Bosnian Pine is nice for smaller areas. It can reach up to 40′ tall.

2″ Caliper when planted

5″ caliper six-years later

We planted three Columnar Norway Maples in our yard. They were about 2″ caliper, but the photos show they grew well in 6 years. I would not suggest planting grass right up to the trunk. Two were planted in grass and one was planted in flower beds. The tree that didn’t have to compete with the grass was much larger than the other two and looks healthier. These trees require very little attention otherwise and the leaves are beautiful. We did have some years with lots of bugs on them and ended up spraying them.

2015 update – Last year we planted a Columnar Norway Maple, 2″ caliper, in a very poor spot. We carved the hole in white/gray clay. It was so hard we could only carve away at it – a pick would only make a 1/2″ dent in it. Filling the hole with water to soften it up didn’t work, it was still full of water the next day. I really thought we might have to move that tree, but it is growing great! It has put on over 3′ of growth. It is on drip and gets regular water. Other than the really late hard frost that deformed some of the leaves, it looks very healthy.