Pear Trees

Our pear trees are largely selected for cold hardiness, but these are all flavorful. Spring 2026 is the first season that we have offered Russian pears (Pyrus communis x Pyrus ussuriensis) bred out of the South Ural Rsearch Institute and imported into North America by our friend Bernie Nikolai from Edmonton. These are the best tasting, hardiest pears, most of them being able to withstand -50F or more without winter killing. The European pears we offer are some of the hardiest of the Europeans and most of these can survive down to -40F (some possible slightly colder) without winter killing.

More about choosing a pear tree

Match the pear to your winter low first (the cold hardiness calculator helps). Bolshaya, Krazulya, Bulgaria and Krasnobokaya are rated to zone 2, and Larinskaya, Vekovaya and Taylor Asian pear to zone 2b. For zone 3, look at Dana Hovey, Flemish Beauty, Luscious, Nova, Ure, Vermont Beauty, Waterville and Summercrisp. Bartlett, Seckel, Clara Frijs and Stuttgarter Gaishirtle are rated to zone 3b, and Golden Russet Bosc, D'Anjou and Concorde need zone 4.

Plan on two pears. Most of these need cross-pollination. Concorde, Honeysweet and Hudar are self-fertile, and Concorde is about as self-fertile as pears get. Flemish Beauty often crops alone but does better with Bartlett. Bloom timing matters: Larinskaya blooms with Vekovaya and is its top pollenizer, Summercrisp pollenizes early pears well, and Taylor wants an early-blooming pear partner. The pollination maps sort it out.

For eating fresh, Bartlett, Dana Hovey, Golden Russet Bosc, Seckel and Stuttgarter Gaishirtle scored 9 out of 10 on our use scores, which are adapted from S. A. Beach's 1905 grades. Everything that scored 8 or higher is on Best Pears for Fresh Eating.

You can pick pears from mid August into October. Ubileen, Beurré Giffard, Stuttgarter Gaishirtle, Ure and Summercrisp ripen mid August, Clapp's Favorite around September 1, Bartlett in September, and Seckel, Dana Hovey and D'Anjou in early October. Harrow Sweet ripens early October and keeps into winter, and Concorde keeps till April in cold storage.

Questions we get

What pear trees grow in zone 2?

Bolshaya, Krazulya, Bulgaria and Krasnobokaya are Russian pears rated to zone 2. They all need a partner, so plant two.

Do I need two pear trees to get fruit?

Usually, yes. Most of our pears need cross-pollination. Concorde, Honeysweet and Hudar are self-fertile, though Hudar still does better with a second pear.

When do pears ripen in Montana?

In Missoula our earliest, like Ubileen and Beurré Giffard, ripen mid August. Bartlett comes in September, and Seckel, D'Anjou and Harrow Sweet in early October.

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