Green Thumb Corner

The Blake's Pride Pear tree fruit has a sweet, rich taste and aroma, and is lovely to look at as its skin is mostly golden and light-yellow. Blake's Pride Pear is a new pear variety that offers great taste and fireblight resistance. Blake's Pride is moderate in size, averaging almost 3 inches in diameter, with a short, upright stem on the fruit. It harvests about three weeks after Bartlett and it stores very well. The tree for Blake's Pride is moderate in vigor and upright-spreading. Yield is moderate to high, with the first crop three to four years after planting. Suggested pollinators are D'Anjou or Bartlet Pear.

The Bartlett Pear tree produces a pear that is bright yellow. It is the nations leading pear variety. They tend to bear fruit for up to 50 to 75 years on a good site. The fruit is aromatic and is outstanding for fresh eating. Along with its very sweet and juicy flavor for eating, it is widely used for canning and cooking because of its excellent taste. The Bartlett Pear trees are self-pollinating, however a pollinator will help the tree bare better fruit. They do require bees to help pollinate. Bartlett Pears do not ripen properly on the tree, so growers pick the fruit when it is mature but green.

The Potomac pear is a Moonglow x Beurre D'Anjou cross which has a pleasingly subacid buttery flavor, and similar to the Beurre D'Anjou in character. The fruit size averages 2 ½" This pear is a great fresh-market pear for commercial growers and homeowners that combines superior resistance to fire blight with good-quality fruit.

The Warren pear is sweet and juicy which is why it is a favorite of many backyard gardeners. Warren pears have exceptional keeping qualities. Extremely resistant to fireblight and is cold hardy to -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Medium to large, long-necked fruit with pale green skin, sometimes blushed red. The flesh is smooth (with no grit cells) and the fruit is juicy and buttery with superb flavor. Medium to large, long-necked fruit with pale green skin, sometimes blushed red. Self-fruitful, no pollenizer required.

The Comice Pear produces a large pear with a very juicy, melting flesh. It has an outstanding flavor. The Comice is not self-pollinating and requires a pollinator. Grow these and put them in your own gift boxes. The giant, juicy, rich-flavored pears are golden with a trace of red. It's also blight-resistant. It is sometimes referred to as the "connoisseur's" pear.

The D'Anjo Pear is a large pear. The flesh is white with abundant juice and a sweet brisk flavor. It is a naturally sweet pear, light green in color with a yellow tinge when ripe. Anjou pears have exceptional keeping qualities. The best flavor is realized when stored 1-2 months. The tree is very hardy, large and highly productive. The D'Anjou does not change color as it ripens. Requires cross pollination with Bartlett or any other pear with the same bloom date.

The Luscious Pear, Pyrus 'Luscious', produces a medium to small, bright yellow pear that is very juicy and sweet. It blooms in early May, and its fruit ripens mid September. It has medium to small bright yellow fruit with a red blush, and a taste similar to 'Bartlett'. The Luscious pear tree is globe shaped, with glossy green foliage, and red fall color. It is fireblight resistant and does best with a second pear tree for cross pollination since it is pollen sterile. Very hardy, to -50 degrees with occasional winter injury. Plant about a month after the first killing frost in the fall or about a month before the last killing frost in the spring. Select a planting site that has good air, drainage, full sunlight and deep, well drained soil.

The Summercrisp Pear, Pyrus 'Summercrisp', has been recognized for many years as the hardiest pear from the University of Minnesota, released in 1985. It is free of fireblight and an annual bearer. Summercrisp fruit is pyriform in shape, 2 1/2" to 3" in diameter and 2 1/2" to 3" long. It blooms early in May. The fruit should be harvested in mid-August when crisp and still green with a red blush. When harvested at this time, the fruit is sweet and crisp, and may be stored up to 2 months. Use either Parker or Patten as a pollinator. Plant about a month after the first killing frost in the fall or about a month before the last killing frost in the spring. Select a planting site that has good air, drainage, full sunlight and deep, well drained soil.

The Gourmet Dwarf produces medium sized fruit that is greenish yellow to yellow in color. It has a thick but tender skin. The flesh is yellowish, crisp juicy and very sweet. It is a perfect pear to serve for dessert. The 'Gourmet' is pollen sterile, which means that it cannot be used to pollinate a second pear tree. The Gourmet trees are upright and medium in size.

The Pear, Kieffer, Pyrus communis, has a crisp, juicy, white flesh that has a coarse texture. It is a consistent, heavy bearer that ripens late September-October, and it is highly resistant to fire blight. Kieffer Pear is very hardy and tolerates hot climates. It is a medium to large rich-yellow pear, and since the pulp of the Keiffer pear is rather coarse and hard, it is preferable for pear preserves, and freshly cooked pear sauce. Fruit should be picked hard-ripe and allowed to reach its flavor peak stored in a cool place. Kieffer Pear trees are easy to grow, and adapt to most conditions.

The Pear, Orient, Pyrus communis, is good for cooking as well as having great landscape value as a flowering spring tree. The trees grow huge, as do the fruits. The Orient pear ripens in August, having the reputation of being the heaviest bearing pear tree. The Orient pear tree is very large in tree size and usually grows 20 feet tall in standard sizes. Pears have shiny deep green leaves offering summer shade and are covered with white blossoms in the spring. Well-drained sandy loam soils are preferred, but pears will grow on many soil types if good drainage is provided. Pears will grow more vigorously and produce more fruit in full sun.