Pairs of Pears
12 February 2007

Pears are one of the nicest tree fruit that we can grow in our gardens. They are sweet and juicy and a delight to eat straight from the tree.

There are lots of varieties that may be grown in northern gardens but they will succeed best when planted and trained against a south or west facing wall that is sheltered from biting, cold winds.

Choose trees that have been grafted onto a dwarf rootstock such as Quince C. It needs a rich, well drained, loamy soil but the tree will grow to 2-3 ft less than Quince A.

Several varieties are self-fertile the best of which is Conference. It will produce fruit without a pollinating partner but the fruit size and yield will be better if there is another pollinator in the same group close by. The best variety to pair Conference with is Williams’ Bon Chretien. It is the Bartlett pear of tins and is a good reliable variety for Northern Ireland gardens.

Packham’s Triumph has wonderful fruit but it flowers early in the season and is prone to late spring frosts. Give it a sheltered position and use Louise Bonne de Jersey as a pollinating partner. It has a deep red flush to the skin and inside the white, sweet flesh has a superb flavour.

Concorde is a new English variety with large crops of juicy fruit. Plant it close to another well known variety, Doyenne du Comice. It has probably the best flavour of any pear but needs a warm, sheltered garden. If you can’t provide those conditions then use Beth as a partner. The fruit are small but have an excellent flavour and it is tough enough for most northern gardens.

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Pear pancakes with caramel sauce