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Fruit EdibleTrees

Pyrus communis 'Gorham' (D)

pear 'Gorham'

A medium-sized, upright tree with shiny, oval, dark green leaves and white flowers in spring. Fruit is medium-sized, conical, pale green to yellow with variable russeting and fine, cream, sweet, juicy, aromatic flesh. A reliable, self-fertile variety, in pollination group 4. Fruit ripen in early autumn and store for a month or two

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Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Rosaceae
Native to the UK: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Pyrus are deciduous trees or shrubs with oval leaves and scented white flowers in spring, followed by green or brown fruits, edible in some species
Name status: Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Needs a deep, fertile, moist but well-drained, fairly neutral soil in a sheltered, sunny position. Will not thrive on very acid soils, shallow chalk soils or with shade for more than half the day. See pear cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by grafting or budding onto a clonal rootstock for fruit. Fruit grown from pips will not resemble the parent

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
Wall side borders
Edible fruit

Pruning

Thin fruit in late spring or early summer to improve size and quality. See fruit thinning. Regular pruning required; prune cordons and other restricted forms in summer and all trees in winter. Further pruning advice: pruning new pear trees, summer pear pruning, winter pear pruning, renovating pear trees, pruning established fans

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, caterpillars, codling moth, pear blister mite, pear midge and pear and cherry slugworm

Diseases

May be susceptible to blossom wilt, brown rot, fireblight, pear scab, European pear rust and honey fungus (rarely)

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