plum/damson

Seven years ago I bought what I thought was a late plum variety (Czar) to go with my Opal, an early variety. I got it from Aldi and it was described as being on a dwarf rootstock. It grew strong and healthy to nearly 5 metres but showed no signs of fruiting till last year when a few small 'plums' appeared which I just ignored. This year it has given a good crop but they are NOT plums. Turns out they are damsons and the variety looks to be Shropshire Prune. Anyway, they've now been picked and are on their way to becoming delicious damson jam. I've heard it said that buying cheap fruit trees can be a bit of a lottery but I'm pleased to say this one turned out to be a winner for me.

I'm glad you got something edible, at least 

... and drinkable. The best sloe gin I made was from SP damsons 

You can always festoon the branches Solway Cropper if the height bothers you, although the should hang naturally after a few years of carrying the weight of the fruit.