Is American Plum deer resistant?

A thicket rather than a tree unless you keep after it: fragrant white flowers in clusters on bare wood in early spring, then red plums in late summer. Stiff thorn-like side branches are what protect an established plant. Deer do browse the twigs and leaves, so young ones need guarding until the thorns build up.

Suckering is what people get wrong. It runs from the roots and builds a dense colony within a few years, which is exactly right if you wanted a hedgerow and a problem if you wanted a specimen. Decide at planting: holding it as a single-stemmed small tree means cutting suckers out every year from the start, and three seasons of leaving it be will settle the question for you.

Fifteen to twenty-five feet is the usual size in moist, rich, well-drained loam, occasionally to thirty-five. Black knot takes the wood and plum curculio takes the fruit.

Do deer eat American plum?

Yes, and the sources disagree about how much. El Paso County CSU Extension lists Prunus americana as deer-resistant, a single category from a Colorado list that records mule deer rather than white-tailed behavior. NC State's entry for the species says the opposite for the East: "Deer also eat the twigs and leaves." "This plant is susceptible to damage from deer." Rutgers does not rate the species but rates orchard plums, "Plums, Prunus sp.," Frequently Severely Damaged. This entry sits between the three at Occasionally Severely Damaged, and the page says so rather than picking the friendliest source.

Where it grows

NC State: zones 3a to 9b, 15 to 25 feet, full sun or partial shade, white flowers in spring before the leaves. It resists drought, dry soil, black walnut and fire. "As a shrub, it suckers freely and can form large colonies or thickets," and the "thorny lateral branchlets" are what protect an established plant. The ASPCA lists it as toxic to dogs, cats and horses; NC State rates the severity Medium, "The pits contain cyanide compounds," and the callout below carries it.

Protecting American plum

A young tree is all soft twig within reach and needs a guard until the thorns build, three or four years, plus a trunk guard against buck rub in fall, which kills young fruit trees that browsing would only set back. An established thicket protects itself and is browsed at the edges without harm.

If it is browsed

It regrows from every browsed twig and from the roots, which is the suckering habit turned to advantage: a colony browsed hard on one side fills in from the other. A single-stemmed tree browsed as a whip may not make a tree; it makes a thicket instead, and the decision about which one you wanted is made for you.