Pyrus communisWinter. Thought to be a seedling of Seckel. Roxbury, Mass., about 1854. Introduced by 19th-century fruit enthusiast Francis Dana who dubbed it “Dana’s Hovey” in honor of CM Hovey, Boston nurseryman and author of The Fruits of America. Sometimes called Winter Seckel because of its similarity to Seckel.
Small squat rich golden-yellow russeted fruit. Intensely sweet highly aromatic tender storage pear has excellent flavor; possibly the best eating of all winter pears. Keeps extremely well. Harvest in October and store in a cool dry spot. Still great eating in December—sometimes even as late as February.
Hardy vigorous moderately productive spreading tree adapts to a variety of soils. No scab and relatively few bugs. Z4. Maine Grown. (2½–6' bare-root trees)
Items from our perennial plants warehouse ordered
on or before March 7 will ship around March 31
through late April, starting with warmer areas and finishing in
colder areas. Orders placed after March 7 will
ship around late April through early-to-mid May, in the order in
which they were received.
Although some pears appear to be self-pollinating, we recommend a second variety for pollination. Bloom dates for all varieties are similar. Plant 15–20' apart. For 2024, European Pears and Perry Pears are on OHxF97 or a similar rootstock.
