Pear Tree Pollination

Pollinating Pear Trees - Choosing a Partner 

Use our easy pollination checking tool to quickly find pollination partners for a given pear tree, or browse the table below.

To make fruit, most pear trees need to be cross-pollinated with another variety that is in flower at the same time; even self-fertile varieties produce better crops with a partner. 

Pollination groups represent flowering periods. A pear tree can cross-pollinate with any tree in its own group or a group next to it on the table. For example, a tree in group B can cross-pollinate with trees in groups A, B, and C - that's all of them!

Pear Tree Pollination Groups

(Note that the letters are interchangeable with numbers, so Group C is the same as Group 3)

Name

Use

Harvest

Pollination Group

Fertility Notes

Conference

Eating

Mid

A

Partially Self Fertile

Louise Bonne of Jersey

Eating

Mid

A

Incompatible with Williams Bon Chretien

Beth

Eating

Early

B

Beurre Hardy

Eating

Mid

B

A poor pollinator for all other pears

Brandy

Perry

Mid

B

Glou Morceau

Eating

Mid

B

Merton Pride

Eating

Early

B

Triploid: cannot pollinate other trees

Williams bon Chretien

Eating

Early

B

Incompatible with Sensation & Louise Bonne of Jersey

Winter Nelis

Eating

Late

B

Cannock

Perry

Mid

C

Concorde

Eating

Mid

C

Self Fertile

Doyenne du Comice

Eating

Mid

C

Incompatible with Onward

Gieser Wildeman

Cooking

Late

C

Humbug

Eating / Cooking

Late

C

Invincible

Eating / Cooking

Mid

C

Onward

Eating

Mid

C

Incompatible with Doyenne du Comice

Sensation

Eating

Early

C

Incompatible with Williams Bon Chretien

Hellens Early

Eating / Cooking

Mid

D

Flowering Dates vs Harvest Dates:Your pear tree's flowering group is not connected with the date when the fruit ripens. For example, Sensation is in pollination group C, but crops before Conference in pollination group A.

Are Pear Trees Self Fertile?Pears aren't good at pollinating themselves. Only Concorde is "as good as truly self-fertile", while Conference and Louise Bonne of Jersey will carry some half-decent fruit without a pollination partner, but all of their crops will be bigger and better with one.

If you do not have room for two pear trees, the likelihood is that bees will bring pollen from a neighbour within a few miles who has a compatible pear (which includes ornamental pears). However, it is better to add at least one cordon, in a pot if necessary, as a pollination partner.