Common pear "Hortensia"

• Height: 3–5 m (depends on rootstock)
• Flowering: May, white blossom
• Fruit: juicy pear, ripe Aug–Oct
• Pollination: needs a second pear variety
• Light: full sun
• Soil: deep, fertile, pH 6–7
• Hardiness: USDA 4–5

Planting. Plant pear in spring or autumn in a sunny, wind-sheltered spot. Space trees 4–5 m apart and keep the graft union above soil level.

Care. Train the crown in the first years and keep it open. Mulch the roots and remove shoots from the trunk.

Watering and feeding. Water young trees deeply in dry weather; mature trees need less. Feed in spring with a balanced fertiliser and in August with a potassium-rich one.

Winter and pruning. In February–March remove crowding and frost-damaged branches. Protect young trunks from rodents and sunscald in the first winters.