Sunshine Nashi Pear Tree

Sunshine Nashi Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) is the crisp Asian pear that eats like an apple and keeps for weeks in the fridge. Grown as a home orchard tree it settles at around 4m tall and 3m wide, small enough for an ordinary suburban backyard. White blossom opens in spring and the foliage colours before it drops, so the tree earns its space even out of season.

Why you'll love it

• Fruit worth the wait. Nashi are round rather than pear shaped, with pale crisp flesh and a very high juice content. Picked ripe from your own tree they beat anything boxed and trucked.
• It fits a normal backyard. About 4m by 3m under routine winter pruning, so it suits a small garden or one sunny corner rather than a paddock.
• Blossom, then autumn colour. A heavy flush of white flowers brings bees and butterflies in, and the leaves turn as the season cools.
• Frost hardy and wind tolerant. Cold snaps do not trouble it, and it holds up in exposed positions better than most backyard fruit trees.

Where it works best

Small gardens. At 4m by 3m this is one of the few genuinely productive fruit trees that will not overrun a courtyard. Allow about 3m of clear space around the canopy, and the same again between trees if you plant a pair.

Feature planting. Spring blossom, autumn foliage and a real crop make it a fair choice as the single tree in a lawn, or the anchor of a productive bed near the back door.

Growing Sunshine Nashi Pear in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun all day is what sets fruit. This is a tree for cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens, because it needs a genuinely cold winter to break dormancy and flower well. In subtropical and tropical districts it makes leaves and disappoints at harvest.

Soil. Deep, well drained soil with compost worked through before planting. It will not sit in water. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound and mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak once or twice a week through the first two summers, then drop back as the roots go down. Feed a complete fruit tree fertiliser in late winter and again after flowering.

Pruning. Prune in winter while the tree is bare, opening the centre so light reaches the fruiting spurs. Fruit set is much better with a second compatible pear nearby, so plan on a pollinating partner.

What to expect when it arrives

We grow this one in a single size, a 5L pot: a young grafted tree, usually a metre or so of straight stem with its first framework branches forming. It is the size most home orchards start from, and it is grown in batches, so it can show as backorder once a run sells through.

Deciduous trees are often dispatched bare of leaves in the cooler months, which looks alarming and is completely normal. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Expect a season of root growth before much happens above ground, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Planting tips for fruit trees, season by season
• Browse the full fruit tree range
• Compare other edible plants for the backyard
• Setting up a productive fruit and vegetable garden

Common questions

Do I need a second tree to get fruit?

For a worthwhile crop, yes. Nashi set far better with a compatible pear flowering within bee range. A lone tree will usually carry some fruit, just not many.

Will it fruit in a warm or subtropical garden?

Not reliably. It needs real winter chill to flower properly, which is why we list it for cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean climates only.

How big does it get, and can I keep it smaller?

About 4m tall and 3m wide with normal winter pruning. Prune a little harder each year and 2.5m to 3m is easy to hold, which keeps the fruit within reach from the ground.