Pear Tree

Plant in a warm, south or west-facing position with deep, moisture-retentive soil. Pears flower early, so shelter from frost pockets is essential. Choose a rootstock to suit your space: Quince C for small gardens, Quince A for medium trees. Most pears need a pollination partner, so plant two compatible varieties. Water regularly during dry periods, especially while fruit is swelling. Mulch each spring with well-rotted manure. Thin fruitlets to two per cluster in June. Harvest by lifting fruit gently; if it parts from the spur, it is ready. Early varieties like 'Williams' ripen on the tree; late varieties like 'Conference' need storing indoors to finish ripening.

Prune free-standing trees in winter to maintain an open centre. Remove crossing, dead, or diseased wood. Shorten leaders by one-third. For wall-trained forms, prune in late summer (August), cutting new side shoots back to three leaves above the basal cluster. Avoid over-vigorous pruning which stimulates unproductive growth.