Plums can plug the gap between mouth-watering raspberries and sweet, crunchy apples. To fully enjoy this harvest, select two or three varieties that fruit at different times. If you only have one plum tree, it’s almost bound to be a Victoria, that old, mid-season stalwart that’s been around since 1840. It’s probably grown on St Julian A rootstock, so is a large, free-standing tree, with lots of fruit hopelessly out of reach. And, unless you have a large garden, you’re unlikely to have space for another tree.

You’ll find it hard to control the height of a Victoria on St Julian A rootstock but, with severe pruning, you can restrict the growth of a free-standing young Victoria. You’ll get even better results and can grow more than one variety by training new trees against a wall.

In the 17th century, gardeners grew their plums on south or east-facing walls for smaller, sweeter fruits, but they chose north-facing ones for larger, less sweet fruits that ripened over a longer period.

For an extended season in an ordinary garden, start with Rivers Early Plentiful, a heavy-cropping variety whose blossom reputedly combats late frosts. But, as with all plums, check whether they flower early because I’m not sure how well they will stand up to global warming. Research, based on data from the last 250 years, has identified a slight change in Britain's weather patterns. Higher than normal temperatures in late winter and early spring have often been followed by some cold April and May nights.

US researcher, Carl Augspurger explains why these are the perfect conditions for frost damage. Unusually high temperatures at the end of winter stimulate leaves and flowers into early growth which continues provided there are enough above-freezing days. This premature plant growth is especially vulnerable to frost damage. Augspurger notes: “Studies support the prediction of increased frost damage despite overall climatic warming. The probability of frost damage in a given year appears to have increased in recent decades.” On a personal note, I was interested to see this temperature pattern in my own garden this year. It fell below freezing on three nights in March, seven in April and three in May.

If, after these depressing lines, an early plum still appeals, you could be tempted by Czar, so named after the Russian Czar who visited Queen Victoria in 1877. The plums are quite small and, when young, are pretty sharp but as they ripen the skin almost turns black and the fruit is a bit sweeter.

For an early crop, my money is on Greengages. These large, outrageously sweet beauties were brought from Paris to England by Sir Thomas Gage in the 18th century. Having lost its label, the plant was called ‘greengage’ by Gage’s gardener.

My Early Transparent Gage nestles against a south-facing wall and offers an irresistible gift every time you open the front door. Unfortunately, our local badgers are equally enthralled by these presents, so must be foiled by a stout barrier.

A delicious bowl of ripe plums is an essential part of life at the moment, and to keep it well topped up into early October, I’d recommend Marjorie’s Seedling. It was several years before my tree bore fruit, but patience has been well rewarded with a fine crop, year on year.

Wild plums can also add interest to an autumn walk, if you’re lucky enough to chance on a Prunus cerasifera. This native of west Asia, once known as Cherry Plum was one of the 10 plum varieties grown at Cullen House, in Moray, in the 18th century. Perhaps John Worlidge was thinking of this variety when he wrote in 1677: "Plums are not worth the planting to be eaten, unless you can find a way to make good wine from them".

I’m lucky enough to have some Cherry Plums growing nearby and agree with Worlidge that they make excellent wine. The challenge is getting to the trees before other would-be vintners.

Aphids on plums and damsons

Leaf curling plum aphid. Dense colonies of small yellow-green aphids infest the tree from February to May, distorting and stunting leaves. The adults fly off to a wide range of herbaceous ornamentals, returning to the plums in autumn. Eggs are laid close to the base of buds, ready to hatch out in late winter.

Mealy plum aphid. Tightly packed colonies of green, narrow-bodied aphids, with a blue tinge. Powdery white coating appears on the underside of leaves, but black, sooty honeydew deposits on upper side of leaves are obvious symptoms. Eggs hatch in April, build up colonies till mid summer, when adults fly off to reeds, returning in the autumn to lay eggs.

The leaf curling aphid causes little damage, but is unsightly; the mealy aphid distorts and damages the fruit. Birds, especially tits, and wasps feed on larvae, but also damage fruit. Other natural controls in a sustainably-managed garden include: ladybirds, hoverflies and parasitic wasps. They won’t eliminate the pest, but reduce the population every year.

Sedum telephium

Strawberries and Cream is a clump-forming perennial with purple stems bearing ovate, purple-tinged leaves and sprays of pale pink to white flowers opening from deep pink buds in late summer.