Table of Contents
Choosing Pollination Partners for Pear Trees
Use our easy pollination checking tool to quickly find pollination partners for a given pear tree, or browse the table below.
To make fruit, most pear trees need to be cross-pollinated with another variety that is in flower at the same time; even self-fertile varieties produce better crops with a partner.
Pollination groups represent flowering periods.
A pear tree can cross-pollinate with any tree in its own group or a group next to it on the table.
For example, a tree in group B can cross-pollinate with trees in groups A, B, and C – that’s all of them!
Pear Tree Pollination Group Chart
| Name | Use | Harvest | Pollination Group | Fertility Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference | Eating | Mid | A | Partially Self Fertile |
| Louise Bonne of Jersey | Eating | Mid | A | Incompatible with Williams Bon Chretien |
| Beth | Eating | Early | B | |
| Beurre Hardy | Eating | Mid | B | A poor pollinator for all other pears |
| Brandy | Perry | Mid | B | |
| Glou Morceau | Eating | Mid | B | |
| Merton Pride | Eating | Early | B | Triploid: cannot pollinate other trees |
| Williams bon Chretien | Eating | Early | B | Incompatible with Sensation & Louise Bonne of Jersey |
| Winter Nelis | Eating | Late | B | |
| Cannock | Perry | Mid | C | |
| Concorde | Eating | Mid | C | Self Fertile |
| Doyenne du Comice | Eating | Mid | C | Incompatible with Onward |
| Gieser Wildeman | Cooking | Late | C | |
| Humbug | Eating / Cooking | Late | C | |
| Invincible | Eating / Cooking | Mid | C | |
| Onward | Eating | Mid | C | Incompatible with Doyenne du Comice |
| Sensation | Eating | Early | C | Incompatible with Williams Bon Chretien |
| Hellens Early | Eating / Cooking | Mid | D |
Flowering Dates vs Harvest Dates
Your pear tree’s flowering group is not connected with the date when the fruit ripens.
For example, Sensation is in pollination group C, but crops before Conference in pollination group A.
Which Pear Trees are Self Fertile?
Pears aren’t good at pollinating themselves.
- Only Concorde is “as good as truly self-fertile”
- Conference and Louise Bonne of Jersey will bear half-decent fruit by themselves
- But all of their crops will be bigger and better with a pollination partner
If you do not have room for two pear trees, the likelihood is that bees will bring pollen from a neighbour within a few miles who has a compatible pear (which includes ornamental pears).
However, it is better to add at least one cordon, in a pot if necessary, as a pollination partner.
Insects (Mainly Bees) are Vital for Pollination
Bees and other insects carry pollen between flowers: even self-fertile trees need them to move their own pollen around their flowers, so an orchard is an ideal place for a beehive, and to encourage wild bees.
In exposed, windy locations, or at high altitude above about 800ft, bees find it hard to fly, so it is even more important to provide habitats and windbreaks to help them out; also, it’s best to stick to reliably self-fertile varieties that make the most of limited pollinators.
How close do pear trees need to be to cross-pollinate?
The closer they are, the better, but anything within 500 feet / 150 metres should be fine.
Can apple trees pollinate pear trees?
No, only pear trees can pollinate other pear trees, not apples, crab apples, nor any other fruit species.
Some pear hybrids are publicised as “papples” or “pearples”, which sounds like they are apple-pear crosses, but only their shape is similar. They are in fact crosses between different European and Asian pear species.