Flavor Queen Pluot is a hybrid fruit tree that blends the best of two worlds: 70 percent plum and 30 percent apricot genetics. This 3-year-bearing variety grows 12 to 16 feet tall and spreads 18 to 20 feet wide, thriving in zones 6 through 9 with full sun and moderate water. The real draw is the fruit itself: greenish-yellow skin that bluses golden as it ripens, with amber-orange flesh inside that tastes like candy without the tough plum skin or tart center that frustrate plum growers. In late summer (June through September), pink and white flowers precede harvests starting around year three.
Set your location to see if this variety matches your area
Full Sun
Moderate
6-9
192in H x 240in W
—
High
Hover over chart points for details
The Flavor Queen Pluot combines the smooth, durable skin of a plum with the juiciness and sweetness of an apricot, delivering a candy-like flavor that made it one of Floyd Zaiger's most celebrated introductions. It ripens mid-season and develops a long hang time on the tree, meaning you can pick at peak ripeness rather than racing against a narrow window. The fruit starts green with a blushed yellow appearance and transforms into something syrupy-sweet with a light amber-orange flesh that's almost melon-like in texture.
Flavor Queen Pluots are best enjoyed fresh, eaten out of hand or sliced into salads where their candy-like sweetness and melon-like texture shine. The sturdy, smooth skin makes them durable enough for farmers markets and long-distance shipping, unlike many apricots. Their juice content and flavor depth make them exceptional for fresh eating at peak ripeness, rather than requiring preservation or cooking.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Plant bare-root or containerized Flavor Queen Pluot trees in early spring (after hard frost) or fall (4 to 6 weeks before first frost), positioning them in full sun. Spacing should be 20 feet apart to accommodate mature width of 18 to 20 feet. Dig a hole slightly wider than the root ball and ensure the graft union sits above soil level.
Harvest Flavor Queen Pluots when the skin transitions from greenish-yellow to a golden yellow blush and the flesh yields slightly to gentle pressure. The long hang time of this mid-season variety means you can pick fruit at peak syrupy sweetness rather than picking early. Fruit color change and a subtle fragrance are reliable ripeness indicators. Gently twist and lift ripe fruit from the branch; the fruit's sturdy skin resists bruising better than most apricots.
The Flavor Queen Pluot's vigorous, semi-spreading growth habit requires light formative pruning in early years to establish an open, balanced framework. Remove crossing or crowded branches to improve air circulation and light penetration. Once mature, prune primarily to remove dead wood, diseased branches, or growth that crosses the canopy center. Avoid heavy pruning, which stimulates excessive vegetative growth at the expense of fruit production.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
“The Flavor Queen Pluot emerged from the breeding work of Floyd Zaiger, the world-renowned hybridist who dedicated his career to creating interspecific hybrids that pushed the boundaries of stone fruit. By crossing plum and apricot genetics at a 70:30 ratio, Zaiger designed a fruit that inherited the smooth skin and durability of plums while capturing the juice and sweetness of apricots. When the Flavor Queen was introduced, its exceptional flavor profile catapulted the entire Pluot category to worldwide recognition, establishing this variety as a benchmark for hybrid stone fruit quality. It stands as a testament to deliberate plant breeding aimed at solving real problems: plums have tough skin and tart centers, apricots can be delicate and mild. The Flavor Queen answered both frustrations.”