Is Shropshire Damson plum self-fertile or self-sterile?

Shropshire Prune Damson is a self-fertile cultivar. It sets a crop with its own pollen and does not strictly require companion pollinizers, though interplanting with overlapping bloom cultivars can enhance fruit set and yield stability.

Can Shropshire Damson act as a pollen donor for other plums?

Yes. Shropshire Prune Damson produces viable, fertile pollen that readily cross-pollinates other compatible plum varieties flowering across its bloom window.

Which bloom group does Shropshire Damson plum belong to?

Shropshire Prune Damson flowers in Bloom Group 4 (Early-Spring). It reliably cross-pollinates with compatible cultivars in its own group or immediately adjacent groups (±1 bloom group).

Which plum pollination pool does Shropshire Damson belong to?

Shropshire Prune Damson belongs to Pool A (European plum, gage and damson). A compatible pollen partner must flower in the same or an adjacent bloom group and belong to the same pool. European and Japanese plum pools do not cross-pollinate.

Curated Pomology Guide · Bloom Group 4

Shropshire Prune Damson
Pollination & Compatibility Guide

Shropshire damson pollination, self-fertile Pool A status, corrected Group 4 bloom and culinary orchard use.

Pomological Verdict & Botanical Profile

Shropshire Damson is Self-Fertile (Pool A)

Sets Alone · Same-Pool Partners Only

Shropshire Prune (Prune Damson) — the traditional UK culinary damson.

Pollination Pool / Ploidy: Pool A · Hexaploid (functional diploid)
Required Companions: 0 (Self-Fertile)
Bloom Group: Group 4 (Early-Spring)
Harvest Timing: Late Season

Primary Uses:CookingJamJelly

Disease Resistance: good disease resist.General Notes: Very hardy

Flowering Period & Overlap Window

Plum bloom groups run from 1 to 5. A useful partner flowers in the same or adjacent group and belongs to the same pollination pool. European plums, gages and damsons are Pool A; Japanese plums and prairie hybrids are Pool B. A tree from one pool cannot pollinate the other.

Flowering Overlap Range for Shropshire Damson

Early Overlap

Group 3

Shropshire Damson

Group 4

Late Overlap

Group 5

For Shropshire Damson, select a compatible plum in the same pollination pool flowering from Group 3 to 5; bloom overlap alone does not bridge Pool A and Pool B.

Compatible Pollination Partners (9)

Test in Checker

Cultivar	Bloom Group	Overlap Type	Harvest	Primary Uses	Interactive Test
Cambridge GageGuide	Group 4	Full Overlap	Mid	Fresh Eating	Test Cross
President (European)Guide	Group 4	Full Overlap	Late	Fresh Eating, Storage	Test Cross
Mirabelle de Nancy (European)Guide	Group 4	Full Overlap	Mid	Fresh Eating, Brandy (Eau de Vie)	Test Cross
Victoria (European)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Mid-Late	Fresh Eating, Canning, Jam	Test Cross
Blue DamsonGuide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Mid-Late	Cooking, Preserves	Test Cross
French Prune (Agen)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Late	Drying (Prune), Cooking	Test Cross
Italian Prune (Fellenberg)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Late	Prune, Drying, Canning	Test Cross
Opal (European)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Early	Fresh Eating	Test Cross
Stanley (European)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Mid-Late	Prune, Fresh Eating, Canning	Test Cross

Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (4)

These cultivars cannot serve as pollinizers for Shropshire Damson because of a different plum pollination pool, a documented incompatibility or another exclusion in the source data.

Green Gage (Reine Claude)Guide

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Green Gage (Reine Claude) is not one of them — that is a gap in the data, not evidence it is incompatible.

Imperial Epineuse (Prune)

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Imperial Epineuse (Prune) is not one of them — that is a gap in the data, not evidence it is incompatible.

Moyer Supreme (Prune)

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Moyer Supreme (Prune) is not one of them — that is a gap in the data, not evidence it is incompatible.

Yellow Egg Plum (European)

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Yellow Egg Plum (European) is not one of them — that is a gap in the data, not evidence it is incompatible.

Grower Commentary: Shropshire Damson as a Culinary Crop

Shropshire Prune is the traditional culinary damson, self-fertile and assigned to Pool A. Its corrected bloom group is 4, so an overlapping European plum or gage in Groups 3 to 5 may share pollen where genetic compatibility allows. It does not need that partner to set fruit, and a Japanese plum across the row cannot substitute for one because Pool B is separate.

A damson crop is usually valued for cooking, jam or other processing rather than dessert appearance. Its small fruit can demand substantial picking labour, so agree the outlet and collection method before expanding a block. Heavy clusters still need checking after natural drop: thin overloaded sections where branch damage or very small fruit would outweigh the extra count. A good fruit set alone does not guarantee a useful harvested yield.

Damsons can work in a bush block or a wider single-row boundary planting, provided access for picking and cold-air drainage remain practical. St Julien A handles many heavier sites and gives a more manageable tree than variable Myrobalan seedlings. Keep the hedge from becoming a shaded tangle, use virus-tested planting material and remember that a late frost can defeat even a self-fertile cultivar.