Seedling

• Young seedlings need extra phosphorus to encourage good root development, and it's best to avoid fertilizing late in the growing season. A high volume of nitrogen in the soil can cause excessive vegetative growth on plants at the expense of flower bud development.
  
  

The Newport Flowering Plum Tree

• Newports are the hardiest of the purple leaf plums; they are adaptable to various soil types, but prefer well-drained, acid soil, and plenty of sun to bring out the richest leaf color. It begins to grow pure white flowers around late February, and then pale pink flowers in early spring. Plums appear in the summer.
  
  

Average Growth and Height

• This tree has a mature height of 15 feet, with a spread of 10 feet, creating a rounded form, with upward pointing branches. The Newport is susceptible to wilt and pests such as aphids, borers, scales, mealy bugs and tent caterpillars.
  
  

Popular Planting Articles

• Popular magazines like "Better Homes and Gardens" recommend the Newport because of its beautiful flowers, lavish fruit and the cool shade it offers in hot months.
  
  

Points to Remember

• When a seedling is first planted, it's busy trying to establish its root system, so it may not grow a lot during the first year. It's important to watch this tree for disease or pests, which can be detected fairly early by the amount of fruit the tree produces.