Onward pear trees

Check pollinators >

• Picking season: Mid
• Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
• Flowering group: 4
• Awards: RHS AGM (former) 1993

Onward is high quality dessert pear, related to Doyenne du Comice but easier to grow.

See our full description ...

Onward pear trees for sale

Choose a size - pot-grown

All our pot-grown trees are grown for us to our specification by the Frank P Matthews nursery.

• PG12-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree, Quince A rootstock£58.75
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

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• PG2Premium half-standard 12L pot-grown tree, Quince A rootstock£64.50
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock

Choose a size - bare-root

• BR11-year bare-root tree,Quince Eline rootstock£39.75
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
• BR22-year bush-trained bare-root tree,Quince Eline rootstock£47.95
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
• BR3Cordon-trained bare-root tree,Quince Eline rootstock£49.00
  Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
• BR41-year bare-root tree,Quince A rootstock£38.25
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
• BR52-year bush-trained bare-root tree,Quince A rootstock£47.50
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock
• BR62-year half-standard bare-root tree,Quince A rootstock£48.50
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  

  Out of stock

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Need help?

Ask our fruit tree experts on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.

Tree specification

Photos of trees as supplied | Tree sizes and forms

Next deliveries

Order now for delivery from week commencing 18th May.

Delivery charges

Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.

All about Onward pear trees

Onward is an attractive yellow pear, often with an orange flush, and occasionally some russet. The flavour is of high quality and it is a reliable cropper - all in all, an excellent garden pear variety.

Onward was developed from the well-known French variety Doyenne du Comice, usually considered the best-flavoured of all pears, but somewhat fussy in its requirements. The goal was to retain the excellent flavour and texture of Comice but in a tree that was easier to grow in the UK.

Growing and Training

Far easier to grow in almost every respect than Doyenne du Comice, crops are reliable and the blossom is usefully resistant to spring frosts.

The main horticultural challenge is that it can be difficult to spot when Onward pears are ripe, so you need to be alert from mid-September onwards in the UK, to make sure you pick the crop at the right time. The pears should be picked when still relatively hard and ripened in a fruit bowl, as they will not ripen correctly on the tree.

Note that contrary to what our pollination notes say, Onward will not reliably pollinate Doyenne du Comice or vice versa - they are too closely related.

History

Developed at the National Fruit Trials at Wisley, in Surrey. 1940s. It is a cross of Doyenne du Comice and an old Laxton's variety called Superb.

You might also like these varieties

• 
  Beth
  An easy and reliable early-season pear, with a very good melting flavour.
• 
  Conference
  Conference is a popular and reliable English pear, well-suited to the UK climate.
• 
  Gorham
  A reliable early 20th century American pear, with a sweet creamy flesh.
• 
  Invincible
  Invincible is a high quality pear which can also cope with difficult conditions.

British-grown trees

Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK. Find out more.

All our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance. Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. Find out more.

Guaranteed fruit trees

When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden while it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund, subject to some conditions. Find out more.

More about pear trees

Pears are amongst the most desirable of all orchard fruits, with their characteristic sweet flavours. Most of the varieties we know today arose in the first half of the 19th century, when there was an explosion of interest among amateur and professional growers in raising new varieties, particularly in Belgium, France, and England. The aim was to achieve a buttery soft flesh and exquisite rich flavour.

Unlike apples, pears which are grown for eating fresh - known as dessert pears - can't usually be eaten straight from the tree, and should not be left to ripen on the tree. Instead aim to pick them just before they are ripe, and then place them in a fruit bowl for a few days.