Gardeners can choose from many kinds of fruit trees for their landscapes. Pears are a good choice for many areas of the country. Here are details on the Kieffer pear.

This is sold as a dwarf, semi-dwarf, and standard tree. Recommended for zones four through nine, it is resistant to fire blight. This is a European-Asian hybrid with one of the parents apparently being the sand pear. First found in Philadelphia around 1863, this was mentioned in U.P. Hedrick’s book called Pears of New York, published in 1921.

This does well in cold climates as well as in the South. It has a low chill requirement. Very easy to grow, this is a long lived hardy tree, and was once a very popular home garden and commercial variety. The trees can life for 50 years or more.

This is a self pollinating variety. Very heat and cold tolerant, it is adaptable to different growing conditions. This is a strong growing tree that is suitable for all regions except for the West and Northwest. It even does well in Florida, and is popular in eastern North Carolina. It tolerates most soils and climates.

This tree bears large crops of fruit. The plant can become less attractive as it ages. It can be used to cross-pollinate European pears.

This variety is partially self-fertile, but for the most part it benefits from cross-pollination. This is a late season variety that ripens beginning after the first week in October into November. These ripen over time. In Georgia, they can be ready in late September. These large to medium fruits ripen to yellow. They store well and remain firm during storage. They ripen to yellow and have a red blush and russeting.

Partly due to the grainy texture, these are considered less desirable than some pears for eating fresh. However, they’re great for most all other purposes, especially for pear syrup, preserves, canning, and cooking.

The flesh is whitish-yellow, crisp, and juicy. The flavor can range from slightly sweet to astringent.