Favourite pear trees?

Pears are one of my favourite fruits. Unfortunately, the one tree in our orchard is not producing. So now I'm looking into getting maybe 3 trees (1 early, 1 mid-season, 1 late maturing).

I have some varieties earmarked, but would be interested in hearing your opinions on what pears you like best.

wish I had more room

I don't know how much/little room you have, but I am going to espalier these pear trees. They take up far less space and are then easier to net to ensure the birds don't get them.
Also, I am going to get pear trees that are grafted on to dwarf root stock.

We've got a William, a Packham and a Josephine but that's only because they we're the ones the local shop had!

I've got my eye on a Red (? name) one but it will have to start raining before I plant any more fruit trees up here.
Most of the fruit trees I have are over ten years old now and don't need much watering but new ones would need water to get established.

Gnome you cant swing a dead cat at my place

Mad Gnome wrote:I don't know how much/little room you have, but I am going to espalier these pear trees. They take up far less space and are then easier to net to ensure the birds don't get them.
Also, I am going to get pear trees that are grafted on to dwarf root stock.

Will be keen to see the outcome I have always loved the look & have wondered how hard it would be.

Hi,
we have a Williams Bon Chretian and a Beurre Bosc. They might be around eighteen or twenty years old now and they both produce extremely well. We bottle, or stew and freeze the fruit.
Barbara B

Our Williams pear is over 33 years old seeing it was here when we came out here. The first year it had only 6 pears on it, and the second year, after I pruned it, it had over 60. Our Beurre Bosc is only young.

Betty

Beurre Bosc and Williams are a great pair. The one pollinates the other so you'd expect good crops. They are the two I'm planning on putting in. I will graft onto seed grown trees that I grow in situ. In other words, I intend sowing some pear seeds where I want them to grow. Once big enough, I'll graft the ones I want onto them. I'm doing this in the hope that the seed grown stock will have a good deep root system to cope with dry spells.
I also love Nashi pears so I might try grafting one of those too.