Beach Plum

Prunus maritima 'Premier'

fruit

Beach plum (Prunus maritima Premier) is a hardy, salt-tolerant native shrub of the Atlantic coastal dunes, 4 to 8 ft tall (taller inland), that covers itself in white blossom in spring and ripens small, round, purple-to-blue plums in late summer. Tart-sweet and superb for jam, jelly, and preserves, the fruit has a devoted regional following. Premier is a heavy-bearing selection with larger fruit. The shrub is exceptionally tough, thriving in lean, sandy, windswept, salty sites where most fruit fails, and it also grows and yields more heavily in better inland soils.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Clover: A nitrogen-fixing living groundcover that feeds the planting on lean soil
• Yarrow: Draws beneficial and pollinating insects for better fruit set
• Daffodil: A ring of bulbs deters voles and rabbits that gnaw stems

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts. Tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Plum curculio →

  A weevil that scars and drops young fruit; remove dropped fruit and consider kaolin clay on the developing crop

• Brown rot →

  A fungus that rots blossoms and fruit; prune for airflow, remove mummified fruit, and clean up debris

• Black knot →

  Black galls on stems; prune them out well below the swelling in late winter and destroy them

🌾 Harvest & storage

Beach plums ripen in late summer to early fall, turning deep purple-blue with a waxy bloom and softening slightly; taste to confirm sweetness, as color can precede full ripeness. Pick by hand as they ripen over a couple of weeks. The tart-sweet fruit is prized for jam and jelly thanks to its high pectin, and is also good in preserves and baking.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Beach plums are tart-sweet, high in fiber and pectin, and a source of vitamin C and antioxidants. They are used mainly in jam, jelly, and preserves, where their pectin gives an excellent set.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

The ripe plum flesh is safe and excellent. Like other stone fruits, the pits (seeds) and wilted leaves contain cyanogenic compounds; do not eat the pits, and keep prunings away from grazing livestock, for which wilted Prunus foliage can be poisonous.