Beurre Hardy Pear Trees

• Variety: Beurre Hardy, a melting, perfumed eating Pear
• Latin name: Pyrus communis 'Beurré Hardy'
• Use: Eating
• Sold as: Bareroot maiden, bush and half-standard
• Rootstock: Quince A
• Mature size: About 3 to 4m
• Pollination: Group C. Needs a partner from group B, C or D
• Bearing: Spur bearer
• Picking: October
• Season of use: November to December
• Health: Some resistance to scab
• Position: Full sun, sheltered
• Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
• Hardiness: H6, hardy through the British winter
• RHS Award of Garden Merit: Yes (1993)
• Delivered: Bareroot, November to April. Collection from Castle Cary also available

Beurre Hardy is an eating Pear with very melting, juicy flesh and a rose-water perfume, on a vigorous, upright tree with some resistance to scab. It is picked in October, eaten in November and December, and holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Beurre Hardy Pear Trees

Beurre Hardy is an outstanding eating pear. They have a fragrant, faintly rosy scent and a world class taste. The soft flesh is delicate and melting, full of juice.

The trees are upright, resistant to scab and have hardy flowers that cope with late spring frosts.

Browse our range of pear trees,or all our fruit trees.

Delivery season: Bareroot plants are delivered from late autumn to spring, November to April.

Pollination Partners:
To make the best crops, all pear trees need to be pollinated by another variety.
Beurre Hardy is in pollination group C.
This means that it'll cross-pollinate any other pear tree that you can buy from us, but it's not a good pollinator of other pears.
Please see our guide to Pollinating Pear Trees for more details.

Growing Beurre Hardy Pears:
Rich, well drained soil is important: dig in plenty of good manure and compost before planting.
The more sun your trees get the better your crops will be.

Planting Companions

Beurre Hardy needs a partner, and the nearest are in its own group C: Conference, which is self-fertile and crops whatever happens, Beth for an early Pear, and Williams. It is a spur bearer, so it suits the forms in our guide to training fruit trees on wires. Dust bareroot roots with Rootgrow as you plant.

Why Buy Your Pear Tree from Ashridge?

Field grown specifically for us and lifted fresh to order, your Beurre Hardy is on Quince A rootstock, and maidens are pre-pruned before despatch for the form you choose. Bareroot trees are guaranteed for 12 months. Ashridge has sold plants since 1949 and is a Which? Best Plant Supplier 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Beurre Hardy need a pollination partner?

Yes. It is not self-fertile. It flowers in group C, so any Pear from group B, C or D will do: Conference, Beth and Williams are all in group C.

How big does the tree grow?

On Quince A rootstock it makes a garden tree of about 3 to 4 metres.

When are Beurre Hardy Pears ready?

Pick in October. Its season of use is November to December, so let the fruit finish ripening indoors.

Can you grow it as a cordon or espalier?

Yes. It is a spur bearer, which is what trained forms need. Buy a maiden, tell us the form you want, and we pre-prune it before despatch.

How soon will it fruit?

Be patient. Beurre Hardy is slow to start bearing, and then gives good, regular crops.

Does it hold an award?

Yes. It has held the Award of Garden Merit since 1993, and it is on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list.

When are the trees delivered?

Bareroot only, from November to April, while the trees are dormant. You can order at any time of year and your tree is lifted and sent once the season opens.