As the name indicates, Flemish Beauty originated in Belgium. It achieved international fame through the advocacy of the prolific Belgian pear breeder Jean-Baptiste Van Mons, who initially named the variety Fondante des bois, which translates loosely to 'melt of the woods.' Flemish Beauty came to be at a time when Belgian and French pear breeders were seeking pears with a luxurious buttery texture, and Flemish Beauty earned it's place as a leading variety for many decades. An elder professional orchardist I know of online calls it one of the top pears he's grown, and the prettiest pear he's seen. I grow it for it's cold hardiness and excellent flavour. It's fruit is wonderful eaten fresh, or dried (dried pears are like candy, much better than dried apples, in my humble opinion). Ripens late in the pear season, around mid-late September. Pollination: Flemish Beauty has a high degree of self-fertility for a pear, but should still be planted with another pear of a different variety for greatest fruit quality. Disease resistance: Susceptible to fire blight and pear scab. These challenges can be managed on a home scale by planting in sites with good airflow and sun exposure, pruning and thinning fruit for airflow, and prompt removal of fire blight occurrences during the growing season. Rootstock: OHxF 87. References: Flemish Beauty in The Pears of New York (1921). Discussion of Flemish Beauty on GrowingFruit.org. Pear cultivars for Ontario from OMAFRA. Image 1: Capitol Reef National Park. Image 2: Bower & Branch.
