Summer 2025Pre-order now for delivery September onwards.
Tel. 01759 392007

Onward pear trees

Pyrus communis
Onward pears
Onward is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Mid
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 4
  • Awards: RHS AGM (former) 1993

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.

 

 

Onward pear trees for sale

Pot-grown

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

All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.

  • PG1Premium half-standard 12L pot-grown tree, Quince A rootstock£64.50
    Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)

Bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root tree,Quince Eline rootstock£39.75
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR22-year bush-trained bare-root tree,Quince Eline rootstock£47.95
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR3Cordon-trained bare-root tree,Quince Eline rootstock£49.00
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR41-year bare-root tree,Quince A rootstock£38.25
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR5Cordon-trained bare-root tree,Quince A rootstock£49.00
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR62-year bush-trained bare-root tree,Quince A rootstock£47.50
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
  • BR72-year half-standard bare-root tree,Quince A rootstock£48.50
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)

Need help? Ask our fruit tree experts

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

Tree specification

Photos of trees as supplied | Tree sizes and forms

Pre-ordering

Pre-order now for delivery in September 2025

Delivery charges

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

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.

Recommended pollinators for Onward pear trees

Onward is not self-fertile, so you will need another different but compatible variety planted nearby in order to produce fruit. The following varieties are good pollinators for Onward. If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us. More pollinators >

  • Pollinator Conference
    Conference
    Conference is a popular and reliable English pear, well-suited to the UK climate.
  • Pollinator Concorde
    Concorde
    A marriage of Conference and Comice - Concorde is easy to grow, heavy crops, excellent flavour.
  • Pollinator Santa Claus
    Santa Claus
    As the name suggests, Santa Claus is a late ripening dessert pear which keeps until Christmas.
  • Pollinator Winter Nelis
    Winter Nelis
    A late-season dessert pear from Belgium, with an excellent sweet flavour.
  • Pollinator Fondante d'Automne
    Fondante d'Automne
    An old fashioned French pear with a notably sweet flavour.
  • Pollinator Beurre Superfin
    Beurre Superfin
    A traditional French 19th century pear, widely considered one of the best for flavour.
  • Pollinator Gorham
    Gorham
    A reliable early 20th century American pear, with a sweet creamy flesh.
  • Pollinator Josephine de Malines
    Josephine de Malines
    A classic 19th century winter pear with a high quality flavour.

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.


Onward characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Flowering group4
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Fruit bearingSpur-bearer

Using

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

Problems

  • Scab (Apple and Pear)Some resistance

Identification

  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin1900 - 1949
  • Fruit colourOrange flush
  • AwardsRHS AGM (former)

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 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.


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