Onward pear trees
Pyrus communis - 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.
Onward pear trees for sale
Pot-grown
All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.
PG12-year bush-trained 11.5L pot-grown tree Quince Eline rootstock £60.50
Medium tree
(2m-3m after 10 years)
PG22-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree Quince A rootstock £56.25
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
PG3Premium half-standard 12L pot-grown tree Quince A rootstock £62.00< 5 in stock
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Bare-root
BR12-year bush-trained bare-root tree Quince Eline rootstock £47.95
Medium tree
(2m-3m after 10 years)
BR2Cordon-trained bare-root tree Quince Eline rootstock £49.00
Medium tree
(2m-3m after 10 years)
BR31-year bare-root tree Quince A rootstock £38.25< 5 in stock
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
BR42-year bush-trained bare-root tree Quince A rootstock £47.50
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
BR52-year half-standard bare-root tree Quince A rootstock £48.50
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Next deliveries
Order now for delivery from week commencing 11th December onwards where these items are showing as in stock.
Delivery charges
Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95. It is calculated when you add trees to your basket, based on your postcode.
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.
How to grow
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.
Advice on fruit tree pollination.
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
- Gardening skillAverage
- Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
- Flowering group4
- Pollinating othersAverage
- PloidyDiploid
- Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
- WildlifeRHS Plants for Pollinators
- Picking seasonMid
- CroppingGood
- Keeping (of fruit)1 week
- Food usesEating fresh
- Flavour style (apples)Sweeter
- Country of originUnited Kingdom
- Period of origin1900 - 1949
- Fruit colourOrange flush
- AwardsRHS AGM (former)
