Pyrus communis
A laden pear tree in September is one of the great pleasures of the kitchen garden. Pears ask for more patience than apples — they take longer to establish and fruit, and demand a warm, sheltered position — but on a quince rootstock in a good spot they repay the wait for 50 years or more. The difference between a shop pear and a home-grown Conference ripened on the tree is profound.
The rootstock controls the ultimate size of the tree. Choose it first — before the variety. All sizes below are approximate and depend on soil and management.
| Rootstock | Size | Height | Spacing | Suitable for | Support & notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quince C | Dwarfing | 2.5–3m | 2.5–3m | Cordon · Espalier · Fan · Small garden | Stake for 5 years — Best for small gardens. Needs fertile, well-prepared soil. Most widely used for garden pears. |
| Quince A | Semi-vigorous | 4–5m | 4–5m | Bush · Half-standard · Espalier · Larger garden | Stake for 3 years — More tolerant of poorer soils than Quince C. Better for less ideal sites. |
| Pyrodwarf | Dwarfing | 2–3m | 2–2.5m | Cordon · Very small garden | Permanent stake — Very dwarfing. Only suitable on very fertile, well-watered soil. Less commonly available. |
| Pear Seedling | Vigorous | 6–9m | 7–9m | Standard · Orchard · Large garden | Minimal after establishment — For traditional orchard trees. Long-lived. Not suitable for small gardens. |
The number of varieties shown for each crop is based on UK consumption data (2025/26) — the more popular the crop, the more variety choices we include.
The classic English dessert pear with an immediately recognisable rich, musky flavour. Ripens in August — the earliest significant dessert pear. Best eaten within days of picking at perfect ripeness. Requires a pollinator in group 3 (Conference, Concorde).
One of the earliest pears to ripen — ready from late July. Small to medium sized fruit with sweet, juicy, old-fashioned pear flavour. A triploid variety that needs two pollinators. Heritage variety with centuries of cultivation behind it.
An American-bred early pear producing large, attractive, mild-sweet fruit in August. Heavy crops on a vigorous tree. Good for fresh eating. Susceptible to fireblight in some areas. Best in warmer UK gardens where the August harvest is reliably warm.
The most reliable and widely grown pear in the UK. Partially self-fertile. Very heavy, consistent crops of long, green-russet fruit with rich, buttery flavour at peak ripeness. Good disease resistance. The benchmark choice for any garden. AGM.
Self-fertile and crops from a young age — often producing fruit in year 2–3. Very sweet, smooth-textured fruit. Good disease resistance. An excellent choice for smaller gardens where only one tree is possible and earliness of cropping matters. AGM.
A French variety with a distinctive aromatic, rose-like flavour quite unlike most English pears. Large, russet-brown fruit. Reliable pollinator for Conference. Very good constitution and better than average tolerance of less-than-ideal conditions. Highly valued by pear connoisseurs.
Widely regarded as the finest-flavoured pear in existence — the fruit served at the finest restaurants and sent as the most prestigious gift. Demands a warm, sheltered south-facing wall and fertile soil. In the right conditions, produces superb large fruit of incomparable quality. AGM. Needs Conference or Beurré Hardy as pollinator.
One of the very latest pears, extending the season into November and December. Rich, complex flavour that develops in storage. Needs a warm site to ripen fully. Excellent for those who want to extend the pear season long after Conference and Comice are finished.
A late-keeping variety with distinctive spicy, sweet flavour. Small to medium fruit. Stores well into December. Good cropper on a warm wall. Useful for extending the dessert pear season well beyond the main October harvest.
The premier cooking pear — very large fruit that is hard and astringent raw but turns a beautiful pink-red when cooked with sugar. Makes magnificent poached pears, tarts, and preserves. Vigorous tree, very heavy cropper. Keeps well in store. Requires a pollinator (group 4).
A heritage cooking pear with long strung-out trusses of fruit. Large, long-necked, and keeps well in store through November and December. Cooks to a rich, sweet texture. An early-flowering variety (group 2) useful as pollinator for early dessert pears.
A very old heritage variety dating to at least the 16th century, associated with the Worcester and Herefordshire perry-pear tradition. Dark-skinned, very hard fruit that stores through winter and cooks magnificently. Excellent disease resistance. An outstanding heritage tree for larger gardens.
A compact, self-fertile variety excellent for smaller gardens and even large containers. Crops reliably and abundantly from year 3. Sweet, juicy fruit in August–September. Good disease resistance. One of the best choices where space is limited. AGM.
Extremely self-fertile and a prolific cropper — one of the most reliable for gardens where only one tree is possible. Medium-sized fruit with pleasant flavour. Also an excellent pollinator for other pear varieties in group 3. Best known for its reliability rather than outstanding flavour.
A newer self-fertile variety with excellent disease resistance and very good flavour. Large, attractive fruit. Crops reliably in cooler UK gardens. Named for its vigour and reliable performance. An increasingly popular choice for gardens where disease resistance and self-fertility are priorities.
Plant bare-root trees November to March when dormant. Dig a wide, shallow hole, keep the graft union above soil level, stake at 45 degrees, firm well and mulch. Formative pruning at planting builds the framework for years ahead.
Select Quince C for most garden situations — it gives a manageable 3m tree that fruits from year 3–4. Quince A on poorer soils. Pears need the warmest, most sheltered spot you have — a south or south-west facing wall is the ideal position. Avoid frost pockets at all costs; late frost kills pear blossom completely.
Dig a hole twice the width of the root system and the same depth. Incorporate well-rotted compost. Do not add fertiliser directly to the hole. On poor or thin soils, pears on Quince C struggle — improve soil significantly before planting or choose Quince A.
Plant at the same depth as the nursery mark. The graft union (the knobbly join above the roots) must remain 10–15cm above soil level. Burying the graft union allows the pear variety to root on its own roots, bypassing the rootstock and producing an excessively large, late-fruiting tree.
Drive the stake in at 45 degrees before replacing soil. The stake prevents root rock in wind, which is the primary cause of establishment failure in young trees. Use a rubber tree tie adjusted as the tree grows.
Replace soil in stages, firming well. Water with 15 litres. Apply a 5cm mulch in a 1m circle, keeping clear of the trunk. Mulch suppresses weeds that compete strongly with young trees in their first 3 years.
Shorten the central leader by a third to encourage branching. Remove any weak or crossing laterals. For espaliers and fans, tie in the framework branches and remove any that are not part of the planned training form.
Container-grown trees can be planted September to May, with autumn and early spring being ideal. Water well after planting and keep consistently moist through the first summer — this is critical for establishment.
Container pears can go in September to May. Autumn and early spring remain the best times — roots establish in moist, mild conditions before the tree faces its first growing season. Avoid planting May to August when trees are in active growth and drought risk is highest.
Carefully tease out any circling roots from the root ball before planting. Circling roots that are left in place will eventually restrict the trunk as the tree grows, weakening and potentially killing it after many years.
As per bare-root planting — same depth, graft union above soil, stake at 45 degrees, firm well, water with 15 litres, and apply a generous mulch circle.
Attach horizontal wires to the wall at 40cm intervals from 40cm above ground to 1.8–2m. Use vine eyes and 10–12 gauge galvanised wire. Plant 20–30cm away from the wall base where soil moisture is better.
Wall-trained pears should always be on Quince C — the dwarfing effect and enhanced wall-warmth produce early fruiting, good fruit size, and manageable growth. Quince A on a wall produces excessive vigour that is difficult to control.
Develop one pair of horizontal tiers per year. Do not rush the training — attempting two tiers at once produces weak, poorly anchored horizontal branches. Patience with formative training produces a structure that lasts 50 years.
A mild allium companion said to help deter aphids and other pests with its strong scent.
Attracts pollinators and adds a decorative, low-maintenance border nearby.
Acts as a trap crop for aphids, drawing pests away from the main plant.
Onion-family plants grown nearby are thought to help deter pests with their strong scent.
Deep roots mine nutrients from the subsoil; cut leaves make an excellent potassium-rich mulch.
Pear trees are a long-term investment. Buy from a reputable specialist fruit nursery offering named varieties on specified rootstocks. Garden centre pears are often unlabelled or on vigorous seedling rootstocks — avoid these for small gardens.
Confirm your chosen variety has a compatible pollinator nearby. Conference is partially self-fertile and the easiest choice where only one tree is possible. All other pears benefit greatly from a compatible variety within 50m.
Plant any time while dormant. November to February is slightly preferable to March — the longer root establishment period before the first spring flush produces a stronger first growing season.
| Region | Sow / plant | Harvest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland & Far North | Nov–Mar | Aug–Oct | |
| Northern England | Nov–Mar | Aug–Oct | |
| Midlands & Wales | Nov–Mar | Aug–Oct | |
| Ireland & Isle of Man | Nov–Mar | Aug–Oct | |
| South & SE England | Nov–Mar | Aug–Oct | |
| South Coast & SW | Nov–Mar | Aug–Oct |
Pears are not propagated by home gardeners — they are always grown as grafted trees combining a named variety (the scion) with a chosen rootstock. Grafting requires specialist skills and rootstock material. Buy trees from a specialist nursery.
Not Applicable — Pear trees are grafted by specialist nurseries. Home propagation is not practical. Purchase named varieties on specified rootstocks.
The two key decisions: rootstock (Quince C for most gardens) and variety (Conference for reliability, Doyenné du Comice for flavour, Williams' for August harvest). Make these decisions before purchasing.
Purchase trees from a nursery offering named varieties with rootstock information clearly stated. Trees without rootstock information are an unknown quantity for size and vigour.
Established pears are pruned in two phases. In winter (November–February), remove crossing, rubbing, and crowded branches from the centre of the tree to maintain an open, airy structure. Also remove any vertical water shoots growing strongly upward from the main branches. In summer (July–August), shorten all sideshoots that are not required for the framework to 5–6 leaves — this summer pruning is particularly important for wall-trained espaliers and fans, directing energy into fruit bud formation rather than leafy growth. Pears fruit on spurs (short, knobbly fruiting systems on older wood) and should not be heavily thinned back — the spur system is the productive asset.
Harvesting pears at the correct moment is the single most important factor in eating quality. Unlike apples, pears ripen from the inside out — by the time the outside feels soft and ripe, the core has often already turned brown and mealy. The correct technique: lift each fruit gently and twist slightly. A pear ready to pick separates from the spur cleanly with this movement. Pick when still firm, take indoors at room temperature, and check daily. Early varieties (Williams', Jargonelle) ripen within 3–5 days of picking. Mid-season varieties (Conference, Concorde) need 5–10 days. Check by pressing the flesh near the stalk — when it yields slightly to finger pressure, it is ready.
In June, pears naturally drop some fruitlets (the June drop). After this natural thinning, remove additional fruitlets by hand so that remaining fruits are spaced 10–15cm apart on the spur. Thinning is essential for large, well-flavoured pears — an unthinned cluster produces many small, flavourless fruits. Thin to one or at most two pears per spur. In a heavy crop year, thinning also prevents branch breakage under the weight of too much fruit.
Pear blossom opens in March and April and is killed by temperatures below -2°C. In most UK gardens, late frosts are the single greatest threat to the pear crop. Wall-trained trees benefit from the thermal mass of the wall and can be protected by draping horticultural fleece over the tree on forecast frost nights — even a single layer makes a significant difference. Free-standing trees in frost pockets are very difficult to protect and may crop unreliably in many years. Position pears carefully at planting time — a frost-free site cannot be remedied later.
Pear scab causes dark, cracked patches on fruit and olive-green spots on leaves — choose resistant varieties and collect fallen leaves. Fireblight is a serious bacterial disease causing shoots to die back as if scorched by fire — cut back 60cm below visible symptoms and sterilise tools between cuts, and never compost infected material. Pear midges cause fruitlets to blacken and fall in May — collect and burn fallen fruitlets. Codling moth causes maggoty fruit — use pheromone traps from May. Pear leaf blister mite causes red and green blisters on leaves — rarely serious, remove affected leaves.
Full identification and treatment advice is in the Pests and Diseases sections.
Pick pears firm and ripen at room temperature. Check daily by pressing near the stalk — the flesh should yield slightly when ready. Early varieties take 3–5 days; mid-season varieties 5–10 days; late varieties up to 3 weeks. Do not refrigerate until the pear is ripe — cold temperatures interrupt the ripening process and prevent the sugars from developing fully. Once ripe, refrigerate and eat within 2–3 days.
Late-season pears (October varieties and onwards) can be stored in a cool, frost-free shed or garage, wrapped individually in newspaper or stored on slatted shelves with fruit not touching. Check regularly — pears ripen unpredictably in storage and must be monitored more closely than apples. Conference stores until December; Doyenné du Comice stores until January in ideal cool conditions (4–7°C).
Pears that have over-ripened or bruised can be poached in light sugar syrup with vanilla, then kept in the fridge and eaten within a few days, or frozen. Pear chutney with ginger is an excellent preserve. Pear wine uses surplus fruit very effectively. Perry (pear cider) requires specific perry pear varieties — eating pears produce a poor perry.
For any garden where only one pear tree is possible, Conference is the unambiguous recommendation. It is partially self-fertile, crops reliably even in cool years, produces heavy yields, and stores well. The flavour is good if not transcendent. For a second tree that improves Conference yields through cross-pollination, Concorde or Comice are ideal partners.
A pear espalier against a south-facing wall is one of the most productive uses of wall space in the British garden. The wall warmth advances flowering and fruit ripening by 2–3 weeks, makes frost protection practical with a single fleece, and produces fruit quality that is simply not achievable from a free-standing tree in the same climate.
A bare-root pear on Quince C planted in November will produce its first significant crop in years 4–5. The temptation to allow fruiting too early weakens the tree structure. Remove any flowers in years 1–2 to direct energy into establishing a strong framework. The patience is worthwhile — a well-established pear tree is one of the most beautiful and productive features of any garden.