How to Grow a Flowering Pear Tree

One of the most beautiful and earliest spring blooming trees is the flowering pear (Pyrus calleryana). Tiny white flowers appear in April and fall like snow on spring green lawns. Glossy green leaves enhance the tree's graceful pyramidal shape and last late into fall, turning scarlet red in October and November. Sometimes called the ornamental pear, the flowering pear is an ideal ornament for any landscape.

Things You'll Need

• Flowering pear tree
• Shovel
• Water
• Mulch or other organic material
• Knife or garden shears

Instructions

1. Select planting site. Flowering pear bloom best in full sun locations. This plant is an excellent choice as a specimen tree or planted as a border or street tree. Moist, well-drained slightly acidic soil is ideal, but a pH range of 3.7 to 7.0 is acceptable.

2. Prepare the planting hole. Dig the planting hole at least 4 times the width of the root ball and of equal depth.

3. Position the tree. Place the tree in the planting hole making sure that the top of the root ball is even with the ground. Backfield a small portion of the original soil to secure the tree. Fill the planting hole with water and allow the soil and root ball to absorb. Backfill the remaining soil and water again deeply. Creating a slight berm with the soil around the root zone will help to direct water to the roots.

4. Mulch the planting site. Spread a layer of 2 to 4 inches of mulch or other organic material around the tree and over the entire planting. Mulch prevents weeds, keeps the roots cool and retains moisture.

5. Prune flowering pear in spring after it has finished blooming. When pruning, leave branches with the widest crotch angle to reduce the chance of breakage.

Tips & Warnings

• The flowering pear is a deciduous broadleaf tree that is an excellent choice for landscapes in hardiness zones 4 through 8. Be sure that your chosen variety is suitable for your area by checking the plant tag and the USDA Hardiness Zone map.

• Transplanting can be shocking to the flowering pear and it recovers slowly. Plant in early spring to allow for optimum growth opportunity before the ground freezes in late fall. Keep the tree well watered in summer, particularly during the first 5 years after planting. Maintain a consistent layer of mulch to retain moisture.

• Fertilization is beneficial for the flowering pear. Broadcast fertilizer in early November around the root zone.

• Most flowering pear will be purchased balled-and-burlapped although they can be found in large containers at some garden centers. Cut all twine and wire from the root ball. Burlap should be trimmed up to half the height of the root ball.

• Do not confuse the Flowering pear with the 'Bradford pear.' The 'Bradford Pear' is an inferior variety of the flowering pear whose trunk may split in two and the branches break. It is a comparatively weak-wooded tree. Check your local nursery or garden center for the 'Chanticleer,' or 'Autumn Blaze' varieties.