Pear Beurre Hardy

A really delicious, old French, late dessert pear, Pyrus communis Beurre Hardy is a hardy, vigorous, deciduous tree with a rounded crown , which does best in drier parts of south-east Ireland in a warm, fertile, sheltered site, and whose leaves turn a characteristic rusty-red in autumn. The fruit is large and rounded, with a yellowish-green, red-flushed skin. The creamy-white flesh is buttery and melting, like the best French pears, juicy, with a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity, excellent flavour, and a scent reminiscent of rose-water. This pear is a reliable cropper in the right site, but is self-sterile, so it will need a pollination partner, such as Beth. This tree is a spur-bearer, so can be trained against a warm wall; it’s rather slow coming into bearing, but a scab-resistant, frost-resistant tree with attractive blossom. It’s a poor pollinator for other pears, so you may need to grow three pear-trees. Keep a 60cm area of bare soil round the trunk. Pick when still firm, and ripen indoors. Pear Beurre Hardy holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

Site: Sheltered, west-facing to south-facing
Soil: Fertile, rich, moist but well-drained, slightly acid to neutral soil
Position: Full sun; best against a south-facing wall
Pick: From October
Keep: November to December
Hardiness: Very hardy
Pollination: Self-sterile; Pollination Group 3-4
Uses: Eating