Pear Trees: Medieval Classics Fit For a Modern Garden
by: Liz Roberts

Pear trees have been gracing gardens since the ancient and medieval times. Their branches and leaves have added beauty to landscapes throughout the US and Europe. Their fruit has been enjoyed from 16th Century troubadours to 21st Century food enthusiasts. Anyone can have these remarkable trees in their backyards. They may need care and attention but in the end, their beauty and harvests are well worth the effort.

Pear trees come in two subspecies, the Pyrus Communus or the Common Pear and the Ornamental , the Pyrus Calleryana. The common pear originated in southeastern Europe and the Caucasus regions. It has a large trunk ending with a pyramidal shaped crown. The leaves are oval shaped and alternately arranged on the branches. They range in two to four inches in length and one to two inches in width. All common pear leaves have a leathery texture and dark glossy green coloring with a paler underside. The fruits are small, only growing about two inches long. Most pears have a light green skin and a dry, gritty flesh( similar to the apple’s , its’ distant cousin). Many gardens support the more popular pear kinds such as the Bartlett, the Comice and the Seckel. However if you want a blight resistant fruit and tree, then plant either the Keiifer, Garber, Le Conte , Pineapple, Douglas or Waite varieties.

The Ornamental on the other hand can be suited to gardeners who want a relatively trouble free tree. It is blight resistant and mostly grown for decorative landscaping. Some trees have been known to produce fruit however. The best bet for your garden is the Bradford. It reaches a towering 30 to 50 feet in height and is covered with beautiful clusters of white one inch flowers. This pear produces inedible pea shaped pears however its’ leaves make up for its’ poor harvest. They turn an eye catching shade of shiny dark red to scarlet. Another colorful ornamental is the Chanticleer that has deep yellow fall foliage. It grows up to 30 feet. Both are sturdy, especially the Bradford which can withstand pollution and makes an excellent roadside fence

Pears, like most fruit trees, need a location with good air circulation. The ground should be slightly elevated and sloping. This type of land is needed because the trees (only the fruit bearing kind) bloom early and may become damaged in by spring’s sometime frosty air. The cold settles in low lying areas, clinging to the branches and trunk. Remember to plant your pear trees in a “heavy soil” type such as clayey loam with a porous subsoil or a medium to sandy loam. Pear trees will not survive any ground that is saturated with water.

If you live in a mild climate, plant your tree in the fall. If your climate is cooler, then consider a spring planting. Also if you plan on starting an orchard, then space pears about 20 to 25 feet apart. If your tree has been grafted onto a Quince rootstock, then it will only need from 12 to 15 feet of area. Be extremely careful with grafted pear trees. The scions (the upper sections) have to be kept away from the ground or they will sprout their own roots and become a full sized tree. Soak you tree’s roots in water for a good 30 to 60 minutes before putting them in the ground. The hole for the tree should be large enough so that it can spread its’ roots about naturally. The soil should then be worked in and around them to avoid air pockets. Also there should not be a depression after you’ve finished planting. Your pear tree should be set at the same level as it was previously in its’ planting pot. Thoroughly water it and check for any air pockets. Lift it carefully to its’ correct level until it settles. It shouldn’t be listing to one side.

Fertilizing is an important step in having a healthy pear tree. Try not to cause overactive growth because this will bring on fire blight ( a highly destructive, bacterial disease) which can even destroy a whole orchard. When you first plant your tree, use half a cup of balanced fertilizer and pour this in a two foot circle around the rootstock, at least six inches away from the trunk. Do this every spring until your tree’s fourth year at which point use two cups of fertilizer around the tree. Do that for every spring after that as well.

Pear trees need pruning in order to maintain their look and uphold their harvests. Pruning should be mainly done in the winter. Remember to keep the cutting light enough to develop a tree strong enough to handle the weight of its’ fruits. When your tree is first planted (it should be about one years old) cut it back to 3 to 4 ½ feet high. All of its’ side branches must be removed. This is done to compensate for the loss of any roots during the planting process. At the end of the growing season chose 4 t0 6 main branches They should be approximately six inches apart, pointing in different directions (like points on a compass). Remove all other branches. Pruning during your tree’s subsequent years should be light and producing a well shape tree with strong branches. Look out for weak crotches. They are liable to breaking, as they grow heavier. This can be preventable by simply cutting off one of the branches during your tree’s youth. When the tree reaches fruit bearing age, prune away the central branches that are weak and thing along with any blight infested ones.

During pollination pears need to have more than one variety planted 40 to 50 feet of each other for cross-pollinating. Remember that the Seckel and Bartlett varieties don’t pollinate each other. You’ll need to plant another kind, like the Beurre d’Anjou, or the Comice to get a fertilized tree.

As with other fruit trees, pears need to be thinned out and harvested. You should thin them out around mid summer. One pear should be left per cluster and , ideally, clusters should be spaced 6 inches apart. Remove excess pears carefully to avoid damaging the main one. To do this hold the stem with your thumb and index finger. Now push the pear off the the stem with your other fingers, leaving just the remaining stem attached to the spur(the small extension at the end of the branch). Remember that pears are harvested greener than other fruits because they ripen better off the tree than on it. Your pears will wind up with brown cores if you let them ripen on the branch. Also be very careful when picking them. Pears have very delicate skins that can be cut with just a fingernail. Let them ripen in your kitchen for two weeks. Unripened pears have to be stored in 32 F temperatures.

Ornamental pear trees do not require the amount of work that the edible kind does. They can thrive in any fertile soil that but do the best in loamy ones. Also plant them where they will receive full sun exposure. Ornamental pear trees are tough. They can survive drought, cold and air pollution. They will only fail in very dry, waterlogged or alkaline soil. Prune when needed, usually in the winter. Just remove the lower branches of the younger trees so you’ll have plenty of head room underneath.

Pear are a great classic that can transport you back to a medieval garden. They are beautiful in their look, whether its’ their delicate leaves to their gently curved fruit. Their timeless grace shines in any landscape, large or small.

4 pears, cut and cored

Dash lemon juice

1 cup water and sugar mixed

Vanilla ice cream

Crystallized ginger or cinnamon

Put pears in micro wavable dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice and then pour the sugar and water mixture over them. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until they are hot but not mushy. Scoop vanilla ice cream over them and decorate with either the crystallized ginger or cinnamon