Julienne Pear Tree
- Zone 3
Characteristics of the tree
Julienne is one of the absolute best pears we have found growing in zone 3. It is attractive in appearance: medium-large in size, averaging 120g and 6cm in length, though the pears can sometimes be as large as 10cm long and weigh 260g.
Its skin is honey-yellow with a red blush on one side, and the flesh is white. When fully ripe, the flesh is quite firm but juicy, and melts in the mouth. It has a pleasant, mild sweet flavour, with a hint of aniseed flavour in the skin, and no astringency or acidity.
Like most pears, Julienne needs to be harvested before it is completely ripe, while it is still hard and crunchy in texture. It is ready to harvest in mid-September.
It is at its best when eaten one month after harvest, kept in cold storage and given a few days at room temperature to fully mature. When conserved in good conditions (at around 2°C) it keeps until mid-January, around 4 months after the date of harvest.
Julienne is self-fertile and moderately vigorous. It may take a little longer than the average pear tree to start producing, but once it begins, it produces a good harvest every year.
There is no reliable data as yet about its resistance to disease, but in 20 years it has not given us any problems.
The Julienne pear tree is named after the village in which we discovered it, Sainte-Julienne, QC. Eric noticed the tree growing in a yard and asked the owners if he could have permission to taste the pears. On taking a bite, he was amazed by the quality of these pears, and knew immediately that we had to propagate the pear tree so that others could taste it.
The original tree has since been cut down, but fortunately the variety has been preserved and now bears fruit in every province of Canada!
Pear trees have a very vigorous and upright growth habit; becoming taller than apple trees (10 m/35 ft in height at maturity) but spreading less wide (6 m/20 ft) Their height can be controlled somewhat with rigorous pruning, but only to a certain degree. All going well, these trees will live for about 200 years, providing fruit for several future generations.
You should note that this illustration is meant only to give a general indication of what you can expect, and the growth of your tree might look somewhat different. The development of a tree depends on the soil type, irrigation, fertilisation and climatic conditions.
All our pear trees are sold bare-root, without pots. They have been cultivated directly in the soil, and are taken out of the ground to be shipped to you during their period of dormancy. Bare-root trees do not take up much space, and can be therefore shipped by mail all over Canada!
Pear trees have a naturally small root system – do not be surprised if your pear tree seems to have fewer roots compared to the other trees you receive! This photo shows a 3-foot-tall pear tree, similar to one you would receive. Depending on the height that you select when you order a pear tree, it could be smaller (1-2 feet) or taller (3-5 feet).
Our pear trees are propagated by grafting, on rootstock that we produce at the nursery. For pear cultivars that are hardy in zone 3, we use Pyrus ussuriensis rootstock for its vigour and hardiness (zone 2, growing in Alaska). For cultivars that are hardy in zone 4, our rootstock consists of either Pyrus ussuriensis, or seedling pear trees born from the trees in our orchard in zone 4.
About half of the pear trees we offer are self-fertile and can produce fruit on their own, though they will always give better yields with a pollinator. The rest are self-sterile, and cannot produce fruit without pollination from a different cultivar. Therefore, if you only have space for one tree, you might want to use the filter to see only self-fertile cultivars.
Provided it is grown in good conditions and properly cared-for, your pear tree will begin to bear fruit by around 5 years on average, although this can vary depending on your location and the fertility of your soil. Be sure to also have a look at our articles on how to plant and care for your growing tree!
