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Merton Pride pear trees

Pyrus communis
Merton Pride pears
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Merton Pride is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Mid
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 4

Pedigree is often an indicator of quality and Merton Pride has an excellent one - it is related to the well-known English Williams pear, crossed with a Belgian variety of good repute called Glou Morceau. The result is undoubtedly one of the best quality English pears available, notable for its juicy buttery flesh.

Be sure to pick the fruits whilst they are still fairly hard, and then ripen indoors.

Merton Pride pear trees for sale

Bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root tree Pyrodwarf rootstock £40.50
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR21-year bare-root tree Pyrus c. Kirchensaller rootstock £40.50
    Very large tree (4m-7m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
    Please try next season

Need help? Ask our fruit tree experts

Call us on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.

Next deliveries

Order now for delivery from week commencing 9th December.

Delivery charges

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

Growing and Training

Merton Pride is a triploid variety - which is fairly unusual amongst pears. As with triploid apples, this is reflected in its fairly vigorous growth and above average disease resistance, but it is also unable to pollinate other pears. It needs another pear tree nearby for pollination, Conference is a good choice for this purpose.

Although developed in England and with a part-English ancestry, Merton Pride has both the flavour and growing requirements of the top French pears. It is best grown in the south and east of England, in a warm sunny spot and on good soil - if you can provide these conditions then you should be rewarded with high quality pears.

Merton Pride is quite difficult to propagate in the nursery and is usually only available on the more vigorous rootstocks.

History

Developed in the 1940s at the famous John Innes Institute at Merton, Surrey, England. Merton Pride is a cross between Williams and Glou Morceau.


Merton Pride characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Flowering group4
  • Pollinating othersPoor
  • Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climatesWarm climates

Using

  • Picking seasonMid
  • CroppingGood
  • Keeping (of fruit)1 week
  • Food usesEating fresh

Problems

  • Disease resistanceGood

Identification

  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin1900 - 1949
  • Blossom colourWhite

British-grown trees Trees grown in the UK.

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

In addition, all our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance. Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. The scheme aims to improve UK biosecurity by setting standards for all growers and retailers involved in selling plants in the UK. 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 whilst 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.