It's a Pear!

Warren Pear

The miniature espalier orchard was planted in the winter of 2008-2009 and has never produced any fruit.  Not even a blossom developed eight Spring seasons to follow.  The tree is the handsomest tree in the espalier line.  Beautiful bark, nice form, and dancing leaves have kept Warren for the ax all this time.  In this part of the garden, production is a must.  Warren must have read my mind as I considered removing the tree and replacing with something that isn't a moocher.

I spoke with a Dave Wilson Nursery representative that encouraged me to be patient.  The tree  can take as long as seven years to produce.  The calendar and my ultimatum must have been the right combination of stress for old Warren to get its act together.  The drought may also have played a role in generating blossoms this Spring resulting in one pear.  ONE PEAR!  This fruit has been watched almost daily.  Varmints were my biggest concern.  Harvesting the fruit at the right time was my other concern.

The pear was harvested on September 3, 2016.  I feel like a plaque should be erected to commemorate the long awaited success.  A post to Maybelline's Garden will have to do.  The fruit was flavorful with a nice texture.  I'm optimistic that future harvests should wait until after Labor Day.  Perhaps mid September.  The original tree tags from Dave Wilson Nursery did not list suggested harvest dates.  Here's what the original labels state:

WARREN PEAR   Excellent quality dessert pear - and highly resistant to fireblight.  Medium to large, long-necked fruit with pale green skin, sometimes blushed red.  Smooth flesh (no grit cells) is juicy and buttery with superb flavor. Good keeper.  Cold hardy to -20°F.  From Mississippi.  600 hours.  Self-fruitful.

OHXF 333 ROOTSTOCK  European and Asian pears on OHxF 333 are dwarfed to about 2/3 the size of standard, or about 12-18 ft. if not pruned.  Widely adapted, diseased-resistant.  Trees on OHxF 333 may be held to any desired height by summer pruning.

The last fruit tree awaiting harvest is the Granny Smith apple.