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Comtesse Clara Frijs European Pear

bare-root trees
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$39.00
Item: 7343-A
stock details: 2½–5' bare-root trees
Pyrus communis
Summer, yellow-green skin.

Denmark, 19th c. Very old delectable dessert pear, first described in 1858 by JA Bentzien in the Danish garden journal Dansk Haugetidende and thought to be from the village of Skensved. 

As with apples, many of the best pears are virtually unknown, including this one. Grower Mark Fulford says, “The flavor is what gets me.” It’s the “most like nectar” of any of the 40 varieties he’s grown. The buttery aromatic flesh is firm but not crisp with no grit cells. Juicy but not dripping. You can eat it in the car. You can eat it right down to nothing. Medium-sized warm-yellowy-green oblong-obovate-pyriform rather thick-skinned fruit sometimes with a very slight pink blush-more like a spot of rouge. Completely covered with hundreds of pin point gray dots. Keeps for a month. 

Solid rugged hardy tree. Plant a second variety for best pollination. Zone 4.

BACK!
ships in spring
Quick Details
Harvest Season
summer
Skin Color
yellow-green
Hardy to Zone
4
Compare
Compare with other European Pears
Variety Product Type Harvest Season Skin Color Hardy to Zone
Bartlett bare-root trees late summer greenish yellow 4
Bosc bare-root trees fall russeted dark yellow 4
Cabot Vermont bare-root trees fall greenish yellow 4
Comtesse Clara Frijs bare-root trees summer yellow-green 4
Dana Hovey bare-root trees winter russeted golden-yellow 4
Harrow Crisp bare-root trees late summer
Harrow Delight bare-root trees early summer yellow-green 4
June’s Pear bare-root trees early fall
Kaspar’s Winter bare-root trees late fall-winter mottled blushed green 4
Nova bare-root trees late summer
Orcas bare-root trees summer
Patten bare-root trees late summer red-blushed greenish yellow 3
Seckel bare-root trees late summer red-blushed yellow 4
Summercrisp bare-root trees midsummer red-blushed green 3
Sunrise bare-root trees summer
Additional Information

Pears Pyrus spp.

European Pears Pyrus communis

Native to temperate Europe and Asia, pears can grow up to 100' tall in the wild. Many pear varieties are hardy in New England but tend to take longer to come into bearing than apples and might not bear every year. Farther south, pears tend to bear annually. Pick fruit when green and ripen it on the shelf. Or, for optimal eating, try this method, from Ed Fackler of Rocky Mountain Orchard: “…when fruits exhibit slight color changes, begin to test pressure (using your thumb) near the stem. When there is a slight ‘give,’ pick all the fruit, store at or near 35° for 7 or more days. Then remove them as needed, allow them to sit at room temps for 2–4 days which allows them to ripen to peak flavor.” Susceptible to fireblight and apple borers. Pears are on OHxF97 and will reach 25' or taller at maturity. (2½–6' trees)

Perry Pears Perry is fermented pear juice—the pear equivalent of hard cider. While you can ferment any pear juice, the best perry is made from small dry astringent varieties selected over the centuries just for that purpose. Most of these perry pears are not suitable for fresh eating or cooking. These trees are a good investment—they should live to be about 300 years old.

Asian Pears Pyrus pyrifolia

There are thousands of named Asian pear cultivars in China, where they have been grown for more than 2000 years. They bear young and are long-lived. Asian pears differ from European pears: they are crisper and very juicy, sweet and mild with a nutty background, and are roundish in shape. Because they set heavily, thin the crop once or even twice during the first two months after bloom to ensure large fruit. Leave about one fruit per spur. Unlike European pears, they should be tree-ripened. When the seeds are black, the pears are ready. They ripen in late summer and keep for several weeks with refrigeration.

Asian pears reach 15–20' at maturity.

Growing Pears

  • Soil: Prefers well-drained fertile soil.
  • Sun: Full.
  • Pollination:
    • European Pears We recommend planting a second variety for pollination, though some European pears may be self-pollinating. Bloom times are similar for all varieties we offer.
    • Asian Pears We recommend planting a second variety for pollination, though some Asian pears may be self-pollinating. Some European pears, notably Bartlett, will also act as pollinators.
  • Planting and Pruning: See our planning and planting and pests and diseases pages for more information about soil prep, planting, pruning, and pest control.
  • Spacing: 15–20' apart.

Shipping

Items from our perennial plants warehouse ship from early March through mid-to-late May, weather depending, beginning with warmer USDA zones.