About Ure Pear Trees
Fruit-bearing trees are lovely and delicious additions to a landscape, but most fruit trees are relegated to the warmer, more tropical climate zones. The ure pear tree strands out as an exception to the typical climate standards for more common pear varieties. If you are hoping to include a beautiful, hardy pear tree to your landscape, consider the ure pear as a distinctive addition to your outdoor living space.
Climate and Conditions
Ure pear trees are one of the hardiest pear tree varieties. Ure pear trees are hardy through USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 3; they can withstand overnight and winter temperatures as low as 40 degrees below zero. In addition to their tolerance for cold, Ure pear trees are tolerant to air pollution and urban planting conditions, including a variety of soil types. Ure pear trees require full sunlight for optimal growth and for bearing fruit. Although these trees will tolerate moist soil, stagnant water in swampy area will stunt their growth or prevent fruit from forming. Under ideal growing conditions, hardy ure pear trees will live as long as 60 years.
Growth
Ure pear trees are fast-growing fruit trees under ideal growing conditions. Small Ure pear trees may reach 25 feet tall while larger trees can be as tall as 50 feet. Most ure varieties offer about 4 feet of clearance from the bottom most branches, making them ideal trees for lining a garden or providing privacy around an outdoor patio.
Fruit and Foliage
During the spring, ure pear trees display sprigs of clustered white flowers along their ragged branches. Each flower cluster is surround by small, waxy dark green leaves that remains throughout most of the spring, summer and fall. In the middle of the fall, the green leaves change to a deep red color and fruit buds appear and grow into small, greenish yellow pears. The pears are a bit too bitter and hard for eating raw, but they are ideal for canning in jams, jellies or fruit preserves.
Concerns
Though ure pears are a relatively hardy and pest-free pear variety, they do present certain challenges for landscapers. Ure pear fruits are not the first choice for eating because of their varied quality. If the fruits are not picked, they may fall onto walkways or sidewalks and create tripping and slipping hazards. All pear trees require two trees for cross-pollination, so a second pear tree planted near your ure tree is the best option for ensuring a high-quality fruit crop.
References
Writer Bio
Hannah Wahlig began writing and editing professionally in 2001. Her experience includes copy for newspapers, journals and magazines, as well as book editing. She is also a certified lactation counselor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Mount Holyoke College, and Master's degrees in education and community psychology from the University of Massachusetts.