Chanticleer ornamental pears

Chanticleer ornamental pears for sale

Chanticleer is one of the best ornamental flowering pears. It begins to flower quite early in the spring when there is not much else around - the white flowers are large and stand out clearly because they appear ahead of the leaves. In autumn the leaves take on fiery tints - often much later than other trees.

The small pears are not really suitable for human consumption, but provide useful bird food late in the autumn.

The leaves are a glossy green over the summer, but take on fiery colours in the autumn and only fall when winter arrives.

The growth is quite compact and upright, taking little space.

How to grow

Chanticleer will grow reliably in almost any soil conditions - acidity and drainage or drought rarely seem to bother it, nor does atmospheric pollution. It also has some resistance to fireblight, which can affect pears.

The blossom is very attractive and profuse, but is not capable of pollinating fruiting pears.

The best autumn colour is achieved in areas with drier climates.

Our Chanticleer trees are grafted on a vigorous rootstock and will eventually become quite large, up to 6m or so - but they are quite slow-growing.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

The species Pyrus calleryana is native to central China, and was introduced to the UK and USA in the early 20th century.

Chanticleer characteristics