Victoria Plum

A chance seedling

The Victoria plum was discovered as a chance seedling — a randomly self-sown seedling of unknown parentage — in a garden in Alderton, Sussex, around 1840. It was propagated and sold by a nurseryman named Denyer of Brixton, London. The variety was renamed “Victoria” in honour of Queen Victoria, who had been on the throne since 1837.

British dominance

Victoria is not just the most popular British plum variety — it may be the most planted plum variety in the world by absolute number of trees. Almost every British domestic garden that contains a plum tree contains a Victoria. Its combination of reliable cropping, good flavour when grown in British conditions, and adaptability to the cool British climate made it the default choice for generations of gardeners and orchardists.

Growing conditions

Victoria thrives in British conditions precisely because of characteristics that limit its use commercially in warmer countries: it is prone to splitting after heavy rain; its thin skin makes it fragile for transport; it is a clingstone, making it harder to process than freestone plums. In warm, dry climates, it produces less interesting fruit than continental European or California plums.

Victoria jam

Victoria plum jam is a British staple, often homemade from backyard Victoria tree surplus — August in Britain brings a brief glut of plums from every suburban garden. The jam’s flavour — jammy, sweet, with a slight tartness from the skin — is a defining taste of British home preserving.