Green Gage Plum Tree

Green Gage is the plum that serious fruit lovers seek out — a centuries-old European variety with yellow-green skin that never turns the red or purple of most familiar plums, and a rich, honey-sweet flavor with genuine plum depth that has made it one of the most prized fresh and culinary plums in European tradition for over 500 years. Introduced to America from England in the late 1700s — itself brought to England from France, where it was known as Reine Claude — the Green Gage carries a distinguished heritage that its flavor fully earns. Freestone, firm, compact-growing, early August ripening, and self-pollinating in Zones 5–9.

Rich Plum-Honey Flavor — Unlike Any Standard Supermarket Plum

The flavor is Green Gage’s reason for being. The rich, honey-sweet character with genuine plum depth is more complex and satisfying than any red or black Japanese plum variety commonly available — and the fact that the fruit stays yellow-green at full ripeness means most commercial growers have never bothered with it, because consumers don’t recognize it as ripe. For home growers who know to wait for the characteristic slight give and the honey fragrance that signals peak ripeness, the reward is one of the finest flavors available from any plum tree.

Five Centuries of European Heritage — Reine Claude

Green Gage’s story spans continents and centuries. Known in France as Reine Claude — named for the queen of Francis I — it was cultivated in French orchards before it made its way to England and then to America. That 500-year pedigree in European orchards is the most reliable measure of genuine quality available: no plum variety survives that long in cultivation without consistently delivering the exceptional flavor that makes the effort worthwhile.

Freestone, Compact, and Culinary Versatile

The freestone pit separates cleanly from the firm yellow-green flesh — making Green Gage as practical for canning, desserts, and preserves as it is enjoyable fresh. The compact tree with its attractive white spring blossoms and deep green foliage is well-suited to smaller home orchards where space is limited and every tree needs to earn its position with both beauty and productivity.

Why Growers Choose Green Gage Plum

• Rich plum-honey flavor — one of the finest flavors of any plum variety
• 500-year European heritage — Reine Claude, brought to America from England in the late 1700s
• Yellow-green freestone fruit — distinctive appearance, clean pit separation
• Outstanding for fresh eating, canning, desserts, and preserves — fully versatile
• Compact grower with attractive blossoms — beautiful and practical in smaller orchards
• Self-pollinating — productive with just one tree