Help with Buying Pear Trees

Help with Buying Pear Trees

Buying pear trees is easy when you know how. Hopefully we cover all the important things to think about at the beginning.
If we've left something out, please contact us.

Think about your garden & the size and shape of pear tree to suit it

Your available space will determine the size of tree that you can grow. There are 2 groups of options:

1. Wire or Post Trained Pear Trees:
   These space-saving shapes are grown flat against walls, fences, posts or over arches.
   A popular form for growing along a fence is a cordon, which is the smallest option, while fans and espaliers are great for covering a larger wall area.
   

• Most of the pears we grow are available as ready made cordons.
• To make a fan or espalier, buy a maiden sized tree (this is the smallest you can buy) and prune it into the desired shape.

1. Free Standing Pear Trees:
   These are "proper" trees and give the biggest crops.
   A bush pear tree is simply a short tree with a main trunk about 1 metre tall and a final height of about 3 metres - ideal for the average garden.
   A half standard pear tree is the biggest starting size & will reach 4-5 metres, so it needs space & a big, secure ladder to harvest it when mature.
   

• Most of the pears we grow are available as ready to go young bushes & half standards, with the most important formative pruning already done.

Which starting size of Pear Tree should you buy?

We sell our pear trees in 4 starting sizes:

1. A year old, sapling pear tree is called a maiden and can be trained into any size or shape you desire.
   This is the cheapest option, but will also take the longest to bear fruit. If you want to make a fan or espalier, you must start with a maiden.
2. For safe and easy harvesting in a limited space, a cordon pear tree is short and trained on a wire.
3. A bush shaped tree great for the average garden, with a short trunk that will keep its final height down to about 3 metres.
4. If you want a big tree as soon as possible, a half standard is the best size for you.
   

Rootstocks:

All our pear trees are grown on "Quince A" rootstocks. These are the best "universal" rootstocks, producing a tree 4-5 metres tall if you let it grow freely. They are also fine for cordons & other trained shapes.

Think Pollination

All pear trees need a pollination partner, which is another pear tree of a different variety that is in flower at about the same time.
Some pear trees are called self-fertile but, in the case of pears, this can be misleading. Without a pollination partner, self-fertile pear trees will produce fruit, but the crop will be smaller and the pears less tasty.

For a full guide, have a look at our guide to Pear Tree Pollination.

Think Fruit

Pears are usually classed as eaters or cookers:

• Eaters tend to have very soft, very juicy flesh and a sweet flavour.
• Cookers tend to have firm to hard, crisp flesh that keeps it's shape after cooking. They usually have a more acidic flavour when eaten fresh.

But it's really about your personal taste - just because we list a tree as a cooker, it doesn't mean that some people won't prefer eating them off the tree.
Likewise, there's nothing to stop you from experimenting with a soft eating pear in different recipes.

Our Bareroot Guarantee:
We want you to feel totally confident about buying fruit trees online, especially bareroot ones that arrive in winter with no leaves on!

Our guarantee to you goes well beyond the basic legal requirements of selling perishable goods by mail order:

1. If you are not happy with your plants after inspecting them upon arrival, you can send them back and we will either refund you or replace them (we will refund the sending delivery charge but you will pay the return charge).
   
   
2. If you buy & plant a bareroot tree in winter, we will replace (not refund) it if it dies before the end of the following July.

• You must report it before the end of July.
• You must send us good quality photos of the entire plant, both close up and with the surrounding area in shot.
• We will replace the trees free of charge: we will only charge you for delivery.

Pricing:
We can keep our prices low because we only sell by mail order and our nursery is closed to the public.
Every tree has discounts on larger orders beginning when you buy only 3 of a particular tree.

Delivery information:

• The planting and delivery season for bareroot pear trees in between November and March.
• A limited range of potted pear trees is available for the rest of the year - these are delivered in pots but will need to be planted out.
• You can place your order for bareroot pear trees at any time of year and choose a winter delivery date that suits you.
• We will not charge you until your plants are ready to be shipped.
• During the season, you will receive an e-mail to notify you of the delivery date,
• When they are delivered, we use a 24 hour courier service to get your pear trees to you in top condition.
• You can contact us on 01963 359 444 or info{@}ashridgetrees.co.uk if you have any questions or suggestions.
  

You can see our range of pear trees for sale here.