My Wild Pear Tree

This is a story of survival about a wild pear tree growing on our property. This past Spring it appeared the late frost had killed the blooms but this week, Bill told me he noticed pears when he was mowing under the tree. Scooter wanted to investigate.  

Scooter hot, tired, exhausted and dragging me back to the house after our exciting adventure.

This is the tree. It is growing in the area between our driveway on the right and our neighbor's driveway on the left.

This is the side facing our driveway.  We assumed the tree was bare because we could not see any pears as we passed it in the car, so we ignored it.

We also did not expect any fruit because last year the tree was hit with a blight.  All of the pears were covered in a nasty mold and seemed to petrify on the branches. These are last year's pears still hanging on the tree.  I suppose I should have pulled the rotten ones off or sprayed, but my solution was to ignore everything.

The tree is in a horrible place, is split at the bottom, is growing against the trunk and is in the shade of a large cedar tree.  It appears, years ago, something dropped the pear seed on the ground where it sprouted and survived. We have discussed cutting the cedar tree down and letting the pear tree grow, but it would fall on our neighbor's property.  Both trees are only a few feet away from the boundary.  It would be a big job which we would need to do quickly to keep from blocking their driveway.  Our solution has been to ignore it. 

The split pear tree covered in poison ivy is on the right and the cedar tree trunk is on the left.

It has a strange shape with one branch growing parallel to the ground.  Bill complains because he has to dodge it when he mows.  I won't let him cut it because these are the only pears I can easily harvest. We should prune it in the winter so it will produce better, but our solution has been to ignore it.

The neighbor's drive is to the left, mine is to the right and Scooter is in the shade of the tree.

Looking toward my neighbor's drive.

These are the pears which are growing on the other side of the tree.  They are not good for eating fresh since they are hard.  They won't ripen until September or October and then I will dehydrate some and use the rest to make the world's best pear butter.  Reese once identified it as a Chinese variety when he was in college studying for an agriculture class in fruit production.  The name has been forgotten, also ignored.

My neighbor's side of the tree.  It might even be hanging over the property line.

This is a fruit tree which is never pruned, fertilized, watered, sprayed or attended in any way.  It is completely wild and yet some years will produce an abundance of fruit.  It has earned the privilege of being chosen by me to receive the honor of being featured in  August's Wildflower Wednesday link up party.

CORRECTION:

8/25/2017  I would like to issue a correction to the information above but first I must share some exciting news:  Reese read my blog without being nagged by me!  I am so thrilled!  He sent me information about my pear tree from Wikipedia and I will share it below:

Pyrus pyrifolia is a pear tree native to East Asia...where the tree's flowers are a popular symbol of early spring.  The fruits are not generally baked into pies or made into jams because they have a high water content and a crisp, grainy texture very different from the European varieties. (I disagree.  We don't care for pear pies, and the grainy texture does not bother us in pear butter. The early flowers explain why they often get hurt by the late frosts.)

They are commonly served raw and peeled. (Not us, we consider them too hard to eat fresh.)

Due to their relatively high price and the large size of the fruit cultivars, the pears tend to be served to guests, given as gifts, or eaten together in a family setting.  (YIKES! I didn't realize they were expensive or something special.  I just thought it was a strange pear tree.)

Now that I know the error of my ways due to being corrected by Reese, the next time he is home I will:  call all the family together, invite some guests and present the pears to everyone as gifts. 

Thank you, Reese, for helping create a new family tradition.  Oh, by the way, we will need to borrow your truck so we can pick the pears.  Also, it would be nice if you offered to climb up the ladder while it is sitting in the back of your truck bed and pick the pears in the top of the tree for us since we are so old. You can take all you want back with you as gifts.

Love and miss you, 

Mom and Dad