Packham Triumph Pear

Packham Triumph Pear (Pyrus communis 'Packham Triumph') is the pear most Australians already know by taste: green skinned, ripening to pale yellow, with sweet white flesh that softens off the tree. It makes a well proportioned deciduous tree of about 4.5m tall and 3m wide, easily held smaller with annual pruning, and it earns its space three times over with white spring blossom, summer fruit and warm autumn leaf colour.

Why you'll love it

• Fruit worth growing. Packham is the benchmark Australian eating pear, and one picked firm and ripened on the bench beats anything off a shelf.
• Three seasons of interest. Clouds of white blossom in spring, fruit through late summer, then gold and russet leaf colour before the tree goes bare.
• A sensible size. At about 4.5m by 3m it suits a suburban backyard, and winter pruning keeps it at picking height without costing you the crop.
• Hardy and forgiving. Frost hardy, wind tolerant and able to crop on ordinary soil, which is more than most fruit trees will do.

Where it works best

Backyard orchards and small gardens. A single tree works in a suburban yard, and in a mixed home orchard plant pears 4m apart so each canopy gets full light. Espaliered along a fence it takes almost no width at all.

Feature and shade planting. The blossom makes it a genuine ornamental in spring, and the summer canopy shades a seating area while letting winter sun through once the leaves drop.

Growing Packham Triumph Pear in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, sheltered from hot wind at blossom time. It needs real winter chill to set fruit, so it is at its best in cool temperate, Mediterranean and cooler warm temperate districts. In subtropical and tropical gardens it will grow but crop poorly.

Pollination. Packham crops far better with a compatible partner nearby, such as Williams or Beurre Bosc, planted within about 15m. A single tree with no other pear in the street will set only a light crop.

Soil, water and feed. Deep, well drained soil with compost worked through, though it copes with poorer ground than most fruit trees. Water deeply once or twice a week from bud burst to harvest, since dry spells while the fruit is sizing give small, gritty pears. Feed with a complete fertiliser in late winter and again after harvest.

Pruning. Prune in winter while dormant. Build an open vase or a central leader in the first three years, then thin crowded wood each year and shorten the leaders to hold the height you want.

What to expect when it arrives

This pear is supplied in 45L and 100L, both advanced trees with a formed trunk and framework branches rather than young whips. A 45L is the practical size for a home orchard; the 100L gives you presence immediately.

If it arrives in winter it may be bare of leaves, which is normal for a deciduous tree and not a fault. Expect leaf and blossom at the next bud burst and a first useful crop within two to three seasons. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, delivered Australia wide, with a minimum order of $300 before delivery and our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Planting and caring for backyard fruit trees
• Browse the full fruit tree range
• Compare trees with autumn colour

Common questions

Do I need a second pear tree?

For a proper crop, yes. Plant a compatible variety such as Williams or Beurre Bosc within about 15m, or check whether a neighbour already has a pear flowering at the same time.

Will it fruit in a warm climate?

It needs winter chill, so crops are light and unreliable in subtropical and tropical gardens. Cool temperate, Mediterranean and cooler warm temperate districts give the best results.

How do I keep it small enough to pick?

Winter prune every year, shortening the leaders and thinning crowded growth. Held that way the tree sits comfortably at 3m rather than 4.5m and still crops well.