This is a twig for grafting. Fall. Distinctive sweet rich spicy buttery flavor. Melting juicy tender white flesh. Bears huge crops annually. Good pollinator for other varieties. Z4.
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This is a twig for grafting. Summer. Medium-sized fruit with buttery aromatic juicy flesh. Grower Mark Fulford says it’s the “most like nectar” of the 40 varieties he’s grown. Keeps for a month. Z4.
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This is a twig for grafting. Summer. Very tasty soft-fleshed dessert pear. The earliest-ripening variety we know. Does not keep, enjoy it while it’s here. Z4.
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This is a twig for grafting. Late Fall-Winter. Frankendorf, Germany. Coarse flesh, good flavor. Great storage pear. Can keep until April in the root cellar. Z4.
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This is a twig for grafting. Late Summer. Small obovate yellowish-brown russeted pear with slight red blush. Often considered the best-flavored of all pears. Good fresh and cooked. Z4.
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Pyrus pyrifolia Fall. Very large sweet juicy golden-brown pear. One fruit grown in Japan made it into the The Guinness Book of World Records. Will develop sweetness even in cooler summer weather. Z5.
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Pyrus communis Late Summer. Large greenish-yellow classic obtuse-pyriform pear. Adaptable to many climates and soils. Full reliable annual crops. Z4.
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Pyrus communis Fall. Distinctive sweet rich spicy buttery flavor. Melting juicy tender white flesh. Bears huge crops annually. Good pollinator for other varieties. Z4.
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Pyrus communis Fall. Small heirloom dessert pear with white rich melting aromatic flesh. Vigorous tree with fireblight resistance. Bears biennially. Rare. Z4.
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Pyrus communis Fall. Medium-large pear with yellowish skin and a slight reddish blush. A superior dessert pear. Highly ornamental tree. Z3/4.
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Pyrus communis Winter. Intensely sweet highly aromatic tender storage pear; possibly the best eating of all winter pears. Similar to Seckel. Keeps extremely well. Z4.
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Pyrus communis Late Summer-Early Fall. Large fruit is buttery, tender and very juicy. Productive vigorous trees are hardy and disease resistant. Z5.
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Pyrus communis Summer. Very tasty soft-fleshed dessert pear. The earliest-ripening variety we know. Does not keep, enjoy it while it’s here. Z4.
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Pyrus communis Late Fall-Winter. Frankendorf, Germany. Coarse flesh, good flavor. Great storage pear. Can keep until April in the root cellar. Z4.
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Pyrus communis Fall. Medium-sized fruit with blemish-free skin. Buttery juicy flesh with some grain & grit. Vigorous, productive, upright trees hardy & long lived. Z4.
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Pyrus communis Late Summer. Large dessert pear with melting juicy flesh, smooth creamy texture and thin skin. Wonderful dessert pear. Great for canning. Z3.
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Pyrus communis Fall-Winter. Very sweet high-quality dessert pear with buttery flesh. Good keeper. Vigorous annual bearer. Resistant to pear scab. Z3/4.
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Pyrus communis Late Summer. Small obovate yellowish-brown russeted pear with slight red blush. Often considered the best-flavored of all pears. Good fresh and cooked. Z4.
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Pyrus communis Fall. Medium-sharp perry pear. Too bitter for fresh eating but very good for making a strong aromatic perry. Also suitable for cooking. Medium-small spreading tree. Probably Z4.
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Pyrus communis Fall. Medium-sharp Ancient perry pear. Juice has medium acid and tannin and “affords a Perry of the greatest excellence with a sweet rich distinctive flavour.” Also good in blends. Z4.
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Pears Pyrusspp.
European Pears Pyrus communis
Native to temperate Europe and Asia, pears can grow up to 100' tall in the wild. Many pear varieties are hardy in New England but tend to take longer to come into bearing than apples and might not bear every year. Farther south, pears tend to bear annually. Pick fruit when green and ripen it on the shelf. Or, for optimal eating, try this method, from Ed Fackler of Rocky Mountain Orchard: “…when fruits exhibit slight color changes, begin to test pressure (using your thumb) near the stem. When there is a slight ‘give,’ pick all the fruit, store at or near 35° for 7 or more days. Then remove them as needed, allow them to sit at room temps for 2–4 days which allows them to ripen to peak flavor.” Pears are on OHxF97 and will reach 25' or taller at maturity. (2½–6' trees)
Perry Pears Perry is fermented pear juice—the pear equivalent of hard cider. While you can ferment any pear juice, the best perry is made from small dry astringent varieties selected over the centuries just for that purpose. Most of these perry pears are not suitable for fresh eating or cooking. These trees are a good investment—they should live to be about 300 years old.
Asian Pears Pyrus pyrifolia
There are thousands of named Asian pear cultivars in China, where they have been grown for more than 2000 years. They bear young and are long-lived. Asian pears differ from European pears: they are crisper and very juicy, sweet and mild with a nutty background, and are roundish in shape. Because they set heavily, thin the crop once or even twice during the first two months after bloom to ensure large fruit. Leave about one fruit per spur. Unlike European pears, they should be tree-ripened. When the seeds are black, the pears are ready. They ripen in late summer and keep for several weeks with refrigeration.
Asian pears reach 15–20' at maturity.
Growing Pears
Soil: Prefers well-drained fertile soil.
Sun: Full.
Pollination:
European Pears We recommend planting a second variety for pollination, though some European pears may be self-pollinating. Bloom times are similar for all varieties we offer.
Asian Pears We recommend planting a second variety for pollination, though some Asian pears may be self-pollinating. Some European pears, notably Bartlett, will also act as pollinators.