Use caution when planting the Bradford Pear. Our neighborhood used them extensively as street trees ten years ago. Two years ago Fireblight Disease hit the trees and our HOA has now spent over 30,000.00 to remove and replace these trees.
Per Washington State University, this pear needs a cross-pollinator of Bosc, Comice, or d'Anjou. I have a solitary tree which has reliably produced fruit for several years. I don't believe any of my immediate neighbors has a pear tree, although I could be wrong. I do run into severe scab problems with the fruit, which necessitates peeling for fresh eating. Juicy and sweet once peeled.
Introduced into the US in the early 1900s to help with efforts to develop fire blight resistance in the common pear. Callery Pear is invasive in many areas and shouldn't be planted.
This cultivar of Callery Pear from China is one of the few cultivars left that are being propagated because it is not as likely to break from storms because of the weak, brittle wood. It has a more upright, tighter branching habit than most. I don't mind it as a parking lot island tree or some such tough, limited, urban site itself, but unfortunately the hungry birds will eat its tiny brown pears and seed it into the wild, where it becomes an invasive nuisance plant. It has nice white flowers, though they stink, but the Callery Pear does not make a good quality ornamental tree for a regular yard or landscape. I told my neighbors not to plant one from Home Depot because of those reasons and someday they will be sorry.
Kieffer is an old time fall pear. Large with good shape but is prone to developing gritty flesh. Tolerates fire blight. Excellent flavor.
20th Century Asian Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia ‘Nijisseiki’) is a great fruit tree: easy to maintain, resistant to many diseases, and drought tolerant once established. For me it began producing fruit in its third year. The fruit is wonderfully sweet with a slight tartness. Very crispy and juicy. The fruit stores well in a dry, cool environment.
State fruit of Oregon.
According to Tx. Aggie Extension, Ayers was developed by Brooks D. Drain of Tennessee Agriculture Experiment Station as a Garber x Anjou hybrid in 1937 and introduced in 1954. It ripens early in the season. The fruit flesh is juicy, sweet, and good for fresh consumption or canning. The fruit is small and yellow and has an attractive red blush. The fruit flesh is low in grit cells. Ayers has been reported to be self-sterile, requiring a pollinator.
