(Pyrus communis) Grafted to OHxF97 pear rootstock. **Special Note: We only offer small first year grafted trees (known as whips) through our mail order business (larger trees available locally). To protect the young graft and avoid costly shipping surcharges we often have to head back our taller grafted trees before shipping. Cultivar Bloom Time Ripening Window Primary Uses Aurora Midseason Late Sept–Oct Dessert, fresh eating Bartlett Midseason Late Aug–early Sept Dessert, canning, cooking Bell Midseason Early–mid Sept Fresh eating, canning Blake's Pride Midseason Early Sept Dessert, good disease resistance Bosc Mid–late Mid–late Sept Dessert, cooking, long storage Chapin Midseason Mid-Aug Dessert, baking, canning Clara Frijs Early–mid Late Aug–early Sept Dessert, fresh eating Dana Hovey Midseason Oct–Nov Small but very sweet dessert pear Duchess Midseason Oct Large cooking pear, fair dessert Harrow Sweet Midseason Mid–late Sept Dessert, fire blight resistant Harvest Queen Midseason Late Aug–early Sept Dessert, early Bartlett-type Honeysweet Midseason Mid Sept Dessert, juicy and aromatic Magness Midseason Mid–late Sept Dessert (Bartlett × Seckel cross) Maxine Midseason Mid Sept Fresh eating, cooking Moonglow Midseason Aug–early Sept Fresh eating, processing Potomac Midseason Mid Sept Dessert, mild buttery flavor Seckel Mid–late Sept–Oct Dessert, very sweet, good keeper Shenandoah Midseason Late Sept–Oct Dessert, buttery, aromatic Stacyville Midseason Sept Northern hardy, multipurpose Summercrisp Early Mid Aug Eaten crisp, multipurpose Warren Midseason Late Sept–Oct Dessert, buttery, disease resistant Cultivar descriptions: Aurora High-quality dessert pear bred in New York. Medium to large golden fruit with smooth skin and a red blush. Flesh is fine-grained, melting, very juicy, and sweet with rich flavor. Excellent fresh eating, less suited for cooking. Keeps a few weeks in storage. Trees are vigorous and productive. Blooms midseason. (Zone 5) Bartlett The most widely grown pear in the world. Medium to large yellow fruit, sometimes with a red blush. Flesh is fine-textured, very juicy, sweet, and aromatic with classic pear flavor. Excellent for fresh eating, canning, and cooking — the standard canning pear. Short keeper; best eaten or processed soon after ripening. Tree is vigorous and productive but susceptible to fire blight. Blooms midseason. (Zone 5) Bell Productive, hardy American pear. Medium-sized yellow-green fruit with occasional red blush. Flesh is crisp, juicy, and mild. Excellent for fresh eating or canning. Short keeper. Trees are vigorous and hardy, often grown in northern climates. Blooms midseason. (Zone 4) Blake's Pride Modern USDA introduction valued for its disease resistance. Medium golden fruit with slight russet and occasional blush. Flesh is juicy, sweet, and aromatic. Fine dessert pear with good flavor. Keeps for several weeks. Tree is hardy, spreading, and highly resistant to fire blight. Blooms midseason. (Zone 5) Bosc Seedling introduced by Van Mons, Lourain, Belgium, 1807. Long-necked fully russetted fruit. Distinctive sweet rich spicy buttery flavor. White flesh. Large vigorous, tree annual bearer of huge crops. Good pollinator for other varieties. (Zone 4) Chapin Bred by U.P. Hedrick at the NY State Agricultural Experiment Station (Geneva). High quality dessert pear. Ripens in mid-August (about a week before Bartlett), and is notably fireblight-resistant. (Zone 5) Clara Fris High-quality dessert pear. Fairly unknown. Medium-sized yellow-green fruit is covered with gray dots. Buttery firm juicy flesh. Keeps for a month. Hardy tree. (Zone 4) Dana Hovey Thought to be a seedling of Seckel. Roxbury, Massachusetts mid 1800's. Introduced by 19th-century fruit enthusiast Francis Dana. Sometimes called Winter Seckel because of its similarity to Seckel. Small rich golden russeted fruit. Intensely sweet tender storage pear with excellent flavor. One of the best tasting storage pears. Hardy, vigorous, adaptable tree. Scab resistant. (Zone 4) Duchess Seedling discovered in France, 1827. High-quality summer dessert fruit. Melting, juicy, sugary and aromatic. Medium-small roundish yellow fruit blushed red and covered with brown dots. Productive vigorous upright grower. (Zone 4) Harrow Sweet Harrow Research Station (Ontario) release, 1981. Cross of Purdue 78 and Harrow Crisp. Medium to large yellow-green fruit with occasional red blush. Flesh is fine-textured, juicy, sweet, and aromatic — excellent Bartlett-type flavor. Outstanding fire blight resistance, one of the best available. Good keeper, holding 2–3 months in storage. Tree is vigorous, productive, and very hardy. Blooms midseason. (Zone 4) Harvest Queen Canadian Bartlett-type variety ripening about 10 days earlier. Medium to large yellow fruit with smooth skin and excellent flavor. Flesh is fine-textured, juicy, and aromatic. Excellent dessert pear, also good for canning. Keeps briefly. Hardy, productive trees. Blooms midseason. (Zone 4) Honeysweet Small-to-medium pear similar to Seckel but larger. Fruit is yellow-green with occasional blush. Flesh is fine-textured, very juicy, and sweet with aromatic flavor. Excellent fresh eating, poor keeper. Tree is hardy, disease resistant, and productive. Blooms midseason. (Zone 5) Magness Soft, juicy dessert pear of great fresh eating quality. Introduced by the USDA in the 1960's. Its parents are Comice and Seckel, both great pears. Medium to large slightly russeted fruit, yellow when ripe. Very disease resistant, especially fire blight. Ripens beautifully on the tree. Needs a pollinator. (Zone 5) Maxine Reliable Midwestern pear. Medium-sized fruit, yellow-green with red blush. Flesh is tender, juicy, and mild. Good for fresh eating or cooking. Short keeper. Hardy, productive tree with some blight resistance. Blooms midseason. (Zone 4) Moonglow USDA introduction. Medium yellow-green fruit with smooth skin. Flesh is juicy, mild, and aromatic with melting texture. Good for fresh eating and processing, but a short keeper. Vigorous tree, very resistant to fire blight. Blooms midseason. (Zone 5) Potomac USDA introduction, 1993. Cross of Moonglow and Beurré d'Anjou. Medium to large yellow-green fruit. Flesh is fine-textured, juicy, mild, and buttery with a pleasant sweet flavor. Good fresh eating dessert pear. Keeps several weeks in storage. Tree is vigorous and productive with good fire blight resistance. Blooms midseason. (Zone 5) Seckel Seedling tree found near Philadelphia in the early 1800s. Many peoples favorite pear juicy and spicy. Small fruit is russeted yellow-brown often with deep red blush. Eat ripe off the tree. Very productive annual bearing tree, easy to grow. Scab and fireblight resistant. (Zone 4) Shenandoah USDA introduction, 2002. Cross of Harrow Sweet and Beurré Bosc. Medium to large yellow fruit with smooth skin. Flesh is fine-textured, very juicy, buttery, and aromatic with rich, sweet flavor — one of the best-tasting modern pears. Excellent fresh eating. Keeps 4–6 weeks in storage. Tree is vigorous, productive, and has good fire blight resistance. Blooms midseason. (Zone 5) Stacyville Unknown origin. Stacyville, Maine. Introduced by John Bunker at Fedco. Fairly rare in the trade. Medium-sized pears are light yellow with an orange blush. The sweet fruit has a delicious citrusy aftertaste. Good fresh eating but excels when cooked. Precocious and productive, large crops most years. Late Summer. Disease resistant, extremely hardy and very vigorous. Not a keeper. (Zone 3) Summercrisp University of Minnesota release. Medium green fruit with red blush, meant to be eaten firm and crisp. Flesh is juicy, coarse, and sweet-tart when harvested early. Best for fresh eating. Keeps for several weeks. Very hardy trees, reliable in northern zones. Blooms early. (Zone 3) Warren Thomas Warren, of North American Fruit Explorers fame discovered this pear in Mississippi, in 1976. Medium to Large, long-necked fruit is green with occasional red blush. The pears are described as very similar to Magness by many. Sweet, spicy and very juicy, buttery, silky flesh with no grit. Fire blight resistant. Good pollinator. (Zone 4)
