Well, why don't we put together a brief primer? I found these same issues utterly confusing when I started, and I'm still figuring some of them out, so it might be useful to compile a little glossary. For starters I'll offer four definitions of the term "Grafting": 1.) The conjoining of living tissues, one of which has been separated from its source. This description is designed to very broadly cover everything from budding to chipping to whip and tongue, among others, as well as bark grafting, to skin grafting for burn victims. 2) The conjoining of living tissue in the form of small branches to a different plant or a different part of the same plant. Commonly referred to as "grafting". 3.) The conjoining of living tissue in the form of a single bud of one plant into the bark of of another plant or a different part of the same plant. Commonly referred to as "budding" or "T-budding", occasionally as "bud grafting", and usually done in late summer but sometimes possible in spring. 4.) The conjoining of living tissue in the form of a single bud with substantial wood (called a "chip") of one plant into a similarly-sized spot on a different plant or a different part of the same plant. Called "chipping" or "chip budding".May be done either in spring or in summer. Maybe others will clarify, expand, or contradict. These descriptions are meant to describe my understanding of the terms as generally used today, but I'm more than open to the possibility that I'm (gasp!) wrong about something! :-)M This post was edited by marknmt on Thu, Feb 20, 14 at 21:53

Phil: I don't think there is anything "wrong" with your tree. It has not gone wild. Appears to me that it had insufficient chilling last winter and is out sync with the growing season. I say insufficient chilling because it has very sparse leaves and is now flowering for at least the second time. Both flowering cycles are much later in the growing season than would normally occur. If you get sufficient chilling this winter, there should be many more leaves next yr and the tree should bloom in early spring, not all summer. The wild, late growth should be left on the tree right now...the tree needs leaves to get ready for winter. I think this burst of late growth occured because of good growing conditions (high fert and possibly plenty of water) and because the tree lacked leaves due to low chilling. During the dormant season you can remove whatever growth is out of place or too vigorous. Then summer prune as needed to maintain the shape and size you desire. Santa Rosa doesn't require that much chilling so hopefully you will be alright next year. The Fruitnut

bf: I haven't tried the Krymsk 5 or 6. Have tried Krymsk 1 which is supposed to be dwarfing for peach, plum, and apricot. I'm not impressed at all. Very large gnarled overgrowth on peach and apricot. Only thing it seems fairly compatible with is plum/pluot. Fruit is much smaller than on Citation. For cherry I have Mazzard, Gisela 5,6,&12, GM 61/1, and Maxium 14. Very unimpressed with any Gisela. They all grew rapidly for a yr or two then completely stopped. I'm cutting them all down. Only Mazzard has made enough growth. I'm thinking about try Mahelab as a last resort. It is supposed to have some resistance to crown gall, which I need, and may bear earlier than Mazzard. Have about $500 of cherry trees I'll sell very cheap!! The Fruitnut

I'm surprised you haven't gotten any responses to your inquiry yet - purple leaf plums tend to generate almost as many comments as Bradford pears :-) If I was choosing a small tree for my front yard, a purple leaf plum - ANY purple leaf plum - would not be among my choices. Here they are ubiquitous - the first choice of developers "landscaping" new housing communities primarily because they are cheap and relatively fast growing. But like many other members of the Prunus family, they are extremely prone to disease and insect problems, tend to sucker profusely and are short lived. If you are interested in the dark foliage color, I'd consider something like Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' or a Japanese maple selection like 'Bloodgood' or 'Emperor 1'.