Candy Heart Pluerry is a true hybrid between a Japanese plum and a sweet cherry, created by renowned fruit breeder Floyd Zaiger. This novel fruit displays dark speckled red skin with amber-red flesh that ripens later than most cherries and plums, reaching peak sweetness around mid-August in moderate climates. Hardy in zones 6 through 9 and reaching 12 to 16 feet at maturity, these trees bloom in mid to late summer and produce heart-shaped fruit with a wonderfully unique flavor that's slightly subacid and intensely sweet. The extended hang time on the tree allows flavors to fully develop before harvest.
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Full Sun
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6-9
192in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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Candy Heart represents something genuinely new in the home orchard: a fruit that tastes like neither pure cherry nor pure plum, but something entirely its own. The combination of Japanese plum vigor with sweet cherry flavor creates a taste-test proven treat that gardeners who've grown it tend to rave about. Its late ripening season is actually a bonus, extending your harvest window well after most stone fruits have finished. The deep red, heart-shaped fruit and amber-red flesh make it as beautiful to look at as it is to eat.
Candy Heart Pluerry shines as a fresh eating fruit, where its unique sweet-tart flavor profile and juicy texture are best experienced straight from the tree. The fruits also freeze beautifully, making them ideal for smoothies and frozen desserts. They work wonderfully in pies and cobblers where their flavor complexity adds depth, and they dry well into chewy fruit leather or dried fruit snacks. The extended hang time and sugar development mean fruit picked at peak ripeness stores longer than typical stone fruits.
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Plant bare-root or container Candy Heart Pluerry trees in early spring or fall, spacing them 15 to 20 feet apart to allow for full mature size. Choose a location with full sun exposure and ensure soil drains well to prevent root rot. Water deeply after planting and maintain consistent moisture through the first growing season.
Harvest Candy Heart Pluerry when the skin is fully dark speckled red and the fruit yields slightly to gentle pressure. In Central California climates, peak ripeness arrives around mid-August, though timing varies by region and zone. The fruit develops an extended hang time on the tree, allowing flavors to fully mature before picking. Gently twist and lift to harvest, or cut with pruners to avoid bruising the delicate fruit.
Prune Candy Heart Pluerry in late winter to early spring while dormant, focusing on creating an open center or vase-shaped canopy to improve light penetration and airflow. Remove any crossing, damaged, or diseased branches. These trees benefit from moderate annual pruning to encourage new fruiting wood, but avoid heavy pruning that delays flowering.
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“Floyd Zaiger, one of the most prolific and respected fruit breeders of the modern era, developed the Pluerry category by crossing cherry and Japanese plum genetics to create something entirely new. Candy Heart represents this hybridization philosophy brought to life: a fruit that incorporates cherry flavor into a plum-like form and growing habit. Introduced commercially around 2016, it represents decades of Zaiger's breeding work to expand the range of stone fruits available to home gardeners.”