Thursday, March 22, 2012

Sand Plums

Many people are disappointed when they buy a tree from Walmart or Lowe's  or one of the big box stores only to have it perish in the fickle Oklahoma climate.  Many times the trouble is not that the owner did not take care of it, but simply that the type of tree they bought is not well adapted for living in Oklahoma.

Well, I have good news for you.  The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture - Forestry Services Division has a wealth of information on trees that ARE adapted for Oklahoma.   They even offer these trees for sale at very reasonable prices!  Here is a link on their web site listing trees that are proven to do well in Oklahoma.


They also have "packages" you can order.  Last year, we ordered a "Wildlife" package.  It consisted of several different types of trees and shrubs that provide food and cover for birds and other wildlife.  There were several "Sand Plum" trees in the package.  Sand Plums are native to Oklahoma and are more like a shrub than a tree.  They have small fruit that are very tart, but that make excellent jelly.  I even found the following YouTube video of how to make Sand Plum jelly. 


The first couple of minutes consist of some video of Sand Plums growing wild.  The wind is blowing, as it usually does in Oklahoma, during that part of the video and the sound is not very good.  But, if you can fast-forward past that part, then the part of making jelly is well done and informative.

Well, anyway, back to OUR Sand Plums.   We planted them in 2 rows between the front lawn and the garden area.  They should eventually form a dense hedge and hopefully will have fruit at least every other year or two.  This far north we may have trouble with late frosts killing the blossoms.  We'll just have to wait and see.  At any rate, these sand plums are in an area not easily watered.  I think Tom watered them once or twice during last summer's drought.  I was afraid they had all died.  So, I was delighted when I noticed almost all of them had survived and were leafing out. 

Here is a picture of them.

It is difficult to see them very well because they are the same color as the grass which is greening up too.  

I noticed several of them also have flowers.  The flowers are frilly little things.  I had trouble taking a picture of one, but after several tries, I succeeded and here it is.


Sand Plums are also called Chickasaw Plums.  They are drought resistant and flourish in sandy soil or heavy clay.  In southern Oklahoma around Chickasha where Tom grew up, they grow wild in thickets along the roadsides.  He remembers picking them and taking them home for his mother to make jelly with.  So, I made a deal with him.  If he will pick them, I will make jelly with them.  I think I've got the best part of this bargain.  Sand Plum bushes/trees have many short stiff twigs that often end in a spine, so they are a literally pain to pick.


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