Plum, Elephant Heart, Bare Root

Elephant Heart Plum (Prunus salicina ‘Elephant Heart’)

Elephant Heart is a Japanese-type plum with large, heart-shaped fruit and richly colored red flesh. It is a late-summer choice for fresh eating and preserves when you want a plum with a distinctive interior.

Key Characteristics

Red flesh with a rich plum flavor

The juicy flesh develops sweetness with a balancing tart edge. It is especially appealing fresh and also gives preserves a deeper color.

A later fruit for a mixed harvest

Elephant Heart generally ripens later than early Japanese plums such as Shiro. Plan enough growing season for the fruit to finish and pick over several visits.

Thin heavy clusters and provide pollen

Fruit size benefits from early thinning and good light. Plant a compatible Japanese-type plum with overlapping bloom and keep ordinary brown-rot care in place.

Pollination Partners

Cross-pollination requires a different compatible cultivar. Options in our 2027 selection include Shiro, A.U. Rosa. Cross-pollination depends on overlapping bloom, not matching harvest months.

Rootstock and Mature Size

Plan for approximately 15–20 feet at maturity, depending on site and pruning. The offered variant identifies the rootstock; keep the graft union above soil level and remove rootstock suckers.

Product Details

• Sun: Full sun to light partial shade; full sun is best for fruiting.
• Soil: medium to medium-dry, well-drained soil; avoid standing water.
• Mature height: Approximately 15–20 feet; see rootstock and pruning guidance above.
• Bloom: Early to mid-spring; white flowers.
• Fruit: Large, heart-shaped plums with dark mottled skin and juicy red flesh.
• Uses: Fresh eating, preserves, jam, baking, and juice.
• Ripening: August–September
• Chill hours: Approximately 500 hours or fewer.
• Pollination: Cross-pollination with a compatible cultivar required.
• USDA hardiness: Zones 5–9.

General Plum Orchard Guidance

A good start

Choose well-drained soil and enough room for the mature tree. Water consistently while roots establish, mulch with space around the trunk, and keep vigorous grass and other competitors away from the young root zone.

Fertility and fruit-tree guilds

Use a soil test to guide lime and fertilizer rather than feeding heavily by default. Our Tree Planting Kit fertilizer blend is an optional planting supplement; keep concentrated fertilizer away from bare roots and avoid excess nitrogen.

Interested in permaculture and stacking functions around your fruit trees? Explore our fruit-tree guild guide for ideas on combining plants for flowers, ground cover, and mulch while giving your tree room to grow.

Practical pest and disease care

Thin crowded fruit to improve size and protect branches, prune for airflow in dry weather, and remove fallen or mummified fruit. Monitor for brown rot, plum curculio, and black knot where it occurs. Early sanitation and fruit bags where practical can reduce problems; protect bees during bloom.