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Simple bare root fruit trees and ornamental trees

Humbug

Pyrus communis
Humbug pears
Humbug is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators

A modern pear variety from the Ukraine, notable for its distinctive green and yellow stiped skin. Young shoots also have a variegated appearance in winter.

The relatively thick skin allows this pear to kept in a cold store for use in the winter, and it is sometimes known as the Easter Pear since stored fruits are brought out for Easter feasts.

Humbug pear trees for sale

  • 1-year bare-root tree on Pyrodwarf rootstock£40.50
    Mature height: 3m-5m after 10 years
    Can be trained on as a large pear tree, or half-standard pear tree.
    Available next season

Growing and Training

Humbug is generally a reliable and disease-free variety.


Recommended pollinators for Humbug pear trees

Humbug 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 Humbug. If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us. More pollinators >

  • Pollinator Beth
    Beth
    An easy and reliable early-season pear, with a very good melting flavour.
  • Pollinator Conference
    Conference
    Conference is a popular and reliable English pear, well-suited to the UK climate.
  • Pollinator Gin
    Gin
    A rare English perry pear variety with good disease resistance and medium acid and tannins.
  • Pollinator Obelisk
    Obelisk
    A useful dwarf pear tree for small gardens, it grows with a tidy upright habit and is self-fertile.
  • Pollinator Sensation
    Sensation
    A red-coloured sport of the popular Williams pear, with a similar good flavour.
  • Pollinator Williams
    Williams
    Williams is a classic English pear, also known as Bartlett, with good flavour and quite easy to grow.

History

Humbug was developed in the Ukraine and is also know as Pysanka.


Humbug characteristics

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Fruit persistenceNormal ripening
  • Self-fertile?Not self-fertile
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Pick seasonLate
  • Picking periodmid-October
  • Keeping2-3 weeks
  • Food usesEating freshCulinary
  • Country of originUkraine
  • Period of origin1950 - 1999
  • Fruit colourVarigated

You might also like these varieties

  • See also Beth
    Beth
    An easy and reliable early-season pear, with a very good melting flavour.
  • See also Concorde
    Concorde
    A marriage of Conference and Comice - Concorde is easy to grow, heavy crops, excellent flavour.
  • See also Conference
    Conference
    Conference is a popular and reliable English pear, well-suited to the UK climate.
  • See also Williams
    Williams
    Williams is a classic English pear, also known as Bartlett, with good flavour and quite easy to grow.

More about pear trees

The modern dessert pear with its refined flavours and melting flesh evolved in the 19th century, and with some exceptions almost all the pears we know today were developed at that time.

Unlike apples, which often helpfully come away in the hand when they are ripe, if you let pears ripen on the tree you will find they are overripe inside. Instead pears need to be harvested before they are ripe - then ripened in a fruit bowl. This just takes practice, and after a few seasons you will soon know the tell-tale little signs that your pears are ready for picking.


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