Thrives in a well-drained moisture-retentive loamy soil, growing well on limestone. Prefers some lime in the soil but is likely to become chlorotic if too much lime is present. Succeeds in sun or partial shade though it fruits better in a sunny position. Sometimes cultivated as a fruit tree in Canada and America, there are some named varieties that have been selected for their edible fruit. This species is closely related to P. americana. A bad companion for potatoes, the plum tree harbours aphids that can damage the potatoes. Most members of this genus are shallow-rooted and will produce suckers if the roots are damaged. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.

Fruit - raw or cooked. It can be eaten out of hand, used in pies, preserves etc, or can be dried for later use. The fruit is small and not very palatable. A sour flavor with a thick skin, though the flavor is improved tremendously if the fruit is harvested after being touched by a few frosts. The fruit is about 3cm in diameter and contains one large seed. Seed - raw or cooked. The seed contains prussic acid and there have been cases recorded of children dying after eating fruits without removing the stones. See the notes above on toxicity.

Seed - requires 2 - 3 months cold stratification and is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Sow stored seed in a cold frame as early in the year as possible. Protect the seed from mice etc. The seed can be rather slow, sometimes taking 18 months to germinate. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July/August in a frame. Softwood cuttings from strongly growing plants in spring to early summer in a frame. Layering in spring.

Thickets, stream banks and woodland edges, in alluvial soils of river valleys and on limestone hills.