Des Urbanistes Pear Tree

OUR STORY

Taste a Piece of 18th-Century Pomological History: The Des Urbanistes Pear Tree Bring the legendary flavor of old-world European orchards straight to your backyard with the Des Urbanistes (also known as Urbaniste), a rare Belgian heirloom prized by fruit connoisseurs for over two centuries. A Monastic Discovery Discovered in the 1780s growing as a chance seedling in the abandoned monastery gardens of the Urbanistes religious order in Mechlin, Belgium, this extraordinary pear quickly captured the attention of European pomologists. Introduced to the United States in 1823 by Count de Coloma and first cultivated in Roxbury, Massachusetts, it earned glowing praise from 19th-century horticulturist A.J. Downing and was famously described in The Pears of New York (1921) as "so sweet, rich, perfumed and luscious as to be a natural sweetmeat." Unrivaled Flavor & Kitchen Uses • Flavor & Texture: Bite into smooth, fine-grained, melting white flesh that is remarkably buttery, tender, and bursting with sweet, perfumed juice. • Best Uses: Widely regarded as a premier fresh dessert pear, Des Urbanistes is unforgettable sliced onto a cheese board or eaten straight out of hand. Ripening from late September through October, it also stores beautifully into November and cooks down into a rich, aromatic pear sauce. Orchard & Growing Specifications • USDA Hardiness Zones: Zones 4–7 (thrives especially well in the Mid-Atlantic and temperate regions, and adapts to less fertile soils better than many classic European varieties). • Chill Hours: Approximately 600–800 chill hours (standard for classic European Pyrus communis pears). • Bloom Time: Mid-season spring bloomer. • Pollination Partners: Not self-fertile—plant within 100 feet of another mid-season blooming European pear for reliable fruit set. Top compatible partners include Bartlett, Beurré d'Anjou, Bosc, Conference, and Doyenné du Comice. (Note: Asian pears and apple trees will not reliably cross-pollinate this variety.) Plant a living heirloom today and enjoy harvests of buttery, perfumed pears for decades to come! Trees are bench grafted 1/4-3/16 inch diameter and 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall when shipped.

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