Fruit Tree
Beauty Plum
Prunus salicina 'Beauty' · Rosaceae
Also called: Beauty Japanese plum
Beauty Plum (Prunus salicina 'Beauty') is a moderate-water fruit tree well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It thrives in full sun, with a fast growth rate. Expect white blooms early spring.
Beauty Plum at a glance
- Water use
- Moderate (established)
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours).
- Mature size
- 15-20 ft tall and wide; commonly kept to 10-12 ft with pruning.
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- White, Early spring (February-March). Partially self-fruitful but yields are much better with a compatible Japanese-plum pollinizer (e.g., 'Santa Rosa') blooming at the same time. Fruit ripens early summer (June).
- Cold hardiness
- Low chill (~200-300 hours), well adapted to the low desert. Dormant wood is frost-hardy, but early bloom can be nipped by late frosts; protect blossoms during hard freeze events.
- Soil
- Prefers deep, well-drained loam; tolerates heavier soils with good drainage and handles Tucson's alkaline pH (watch for chlorosis).
- Native range
- Japanese plum species native to China (long cultivated in Japan); 'Beauty' is a low-chill cultivar (a Luther Burbank introduction).
- Best used as
- Edible fruit (sweet, juicy - fresh eating, jam), Pollinizer for other Japanese plums, Early-summer home orchard tree, Spring ornamental bloom
- Wildlife
- Early flowers support bees; ripe fruit attracts birds.
- Toxicity
- Fruit is edible/non-toxic. Pits/seeds, leaves, and twigs contain cyanogenic compounds - keep pets and children from ingesting seeds or wilted foliage.
How to grow Beauty Plum in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Deep, infrequent watering to 2-3 ft; roughly weekly in summer, tapering in fall and minimal during winter dormancy. Consistent moisture through fruit development reduces drop and cracking.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Apply balanced fruit-tree fertilizer with nitrogen in late winter and again after fruit set; Japanese plums are moderately vigorous feeders. Correct iron/zinc chlorosis with chelates on alkaline soils.
Pruning & care
Train to an open-center (vase) form; Japanese plums are vigorous and fruit on spurs and one-year wood. Prune in late winter and follow with summer pruning to control vigor, admit light, and renew fruiting wood. Thin fruit to improve size and prevent limb breakage.
Notes
'Beauty' is a reliable, very early low-chill Japanese plum for Tucson with sweet amber-red fruit. Plant with another Japanese plum (such as 'Santa Rosa') nearby for best fruit set. Plant bare-root in January-February; its early bloom makes a late-frost-protected site ideal.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension - Deciduous Fruit and Nuts for the Low Desert; Pima County / Maricopa County Master Gardeners; Dave Wilson Nursery low-chill plum variety guide