I’m wondering what are some of the best zone 4 Pears for fresh eating to grow.
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From my own experience I would suggest Flemish Beauty, Dana’s Hovey, White Doyenne, Bosc, Bartlett, Warden Seckel, for starters.
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I just bought the Russian pear Siska, or Tsizovskaja for those who can pronounce that monster of a name. Should be zone 4, borderline zone 3. Obviously it’s an ussuriensis hybrid.
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Where did you find the Russian variety?
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Here’s what I have and what rootstock it’s on:
- Ayers OHxF333 7
- Bartlett OHxF333 7
- Buerre Bosc OHxF97 1
OHxF333 1 - Clapps OHxF333 1
OHxF97 1
Quince 1 - German A OHxF97 1
OHxF87 1
OHxF333 1 - Japanese Golden Russet OHxF97 1
OHxF87 1
OHxF333 1 - Kieffer OHxF333 5
- Luscious Quince 1
OHxF87 3 - Magness OHxF333 3
- Moonglow Quince 1
OHxF97 1
OHxF87 1
OHxF333 3 - Nijiseki / 20th Century Quince 1
OHxF97 1 - Nova OHxF333 3
- Patten Quince 1
OHxF97 1
OHxF87 1
OHxF333 1 - Spartlett Quince 1
OHxF97 1
OHxF87 1 - Summer Blood Quince 1
OHxF97 1
OHxF87 1 - Summer Crisp OHxF97 1
OHxF87 1 - Winter Nellis Quince 1
And I grafted these this spring:
- Burford 2 OHxF87
- Harrow Delight 2 OHxF333
- Harrow Sweet 2 OHxF87
- Honey Sweet 2 OHxF333
- Joey’s Redflesh 2 OHxF87
- Seckel 2 OHxF333
I should note that I don’t believe Buerre Bosc will be able to fruit in Z4.
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I should have included Winter Nelis and Golden Spice; Ure is purportedly good to Zone 4 or even lower, but I don’t have it on my tree.
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Which zone 4?
I’m in zone 4 north of anchorage. Our problem is not hardiness but that pears don’t have enough time to ripen fruit; too late a start (my cherries don’t even have leaves on them yet) too early a winter. We can grow trees but not fruits unless it is a year where everything goes perfect.
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same issue here in n Maine.
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Of all of these various cultivars which are considered heirloom and are capable of surviving in a Z4 climate?
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I can recommend Summercrisp. I recently got downgraded from Z5 to Z 6. Summercrisp took a really cold cold snap well, it ripens in August.
Not complex at all, just a sweet small sugar pear. As pears go it’s a crabapple. Very attractive to bees. (Rare in a pear.) Solves any pollination issue. Very nice looking tree, rivals any flowering ornamental tree.
As far as heirloom goes, I don’t know. It was released in the 1980’s from the University of Minnesota. Supposedly it was accessioned by the University in the 1930’s as a gift and the tree has unknown parentage. So sort of.
Not precocious for me at least.
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Of all of these various cultivars which are considered heirloom and are capable of surviving in a Z4 climate?
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Border of zone 4a/3b central MN, pears are pretty limited. Ure, Golden Spice, and Early Gold survive and bear fruit. Summercrisp got zapped in it’s second winter. An older tree may have survived. Flemish Beauty didn’t make it through one winter. Sauvignac and Vavilov survived a couple winters, but failed to put on any growth. Walden Large and Southworth have survived 5-6 years, but have yet to fruit. Other pears in the area that survive and bear fruit, Luscious, Nova, Patten.
This spring I grafted Dana Hovey, Kaspar Winter, and Cabot Vermont. I put one each on OHxF 97 and ussurian rootstocks. Time will tell for these varieties. OHxF 97 has proven to lack winter hardiness in low snowfall years.
edit…I forgot to mention Okolo. I have two that have survived 2 winters and have put on good growth. I anticipate them doing well here.
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Flemish beauty isn’t hardy here either. It appers my Tsizovskaja is a hybrid of Flemish beauty with some Pyrus ussurensis variety, or a hybrid of it.
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I am going with OHxF 87 and they seem to handle my winter weather in this Z4b I’m working in.
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where do you get your scion wood for those cultivars? i have some of what you have on my mtn. ash but never heard of the others. i have lucious, nova, patten and stacyville a fedco cultivar. all took last spring and put out from 12 to 24in. of growth by aug.
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RainTree Nursey in Washington State.
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Ive had decent luck with new century asian pear in Z4a
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I bought Ure, Early Gold, and Golden Spice as potted stock from a local nursery.
Walden Large scions came from Todd Parlo at Walden Heights Nursery (I also got Hill scions from him, but that one didn’t survive).
Vavilov, Sauvignac, Southworth, and Okolo came from GRIN.
Kaspar’s Winter, Dana Hovey, and Cabot Vermont came from Fedco.
I don’t recall where my Flemish Beauty and Summercrisp scions came from to be honest.
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I think most any of the OHxF series rootstocks would survive here with good snow cover as well. In years where there is little to snow cover when -30 temps hit, they aren’t as hardy. Older trees can survive losing some of their roots when this happens, but younger stock cannot.
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