Common pear 'Bonne Louise d’Avranches'

Common pear «Bonne Louise d’Avranches» (Pyrus communis Buona Luigia d’Avranches) – a cultivar of the common pear. It was discovered in 1780 in France by the gardener Longueval di Avranchesn, who named the cultivar after his wife – Louise.

It is a vigorous, cold-hardy, resilient and sun-loving tree. The cultivar is self-sterile. The crown is spreading, fan-shaped.

Fruits are large, tender, with a sweet taste and a low sugar content, weighing 200-250 g, pear-shaped, greenish-yellow with light red patches. The flesh is white, of medium firmness, juicy, of excellent taste and pleasant aroma. The skin separates well from the flesh, of medium thickness. Fruits ripen in August-September. Yield is high, up to 200 kg per tree.

Best pollinators: Bergamotte Esperen, Clapp's favourite, Seigneur Esperen (Belle Lucrative), Conférence, Légipont.

Hardiness zone: 4a

Location: not demanding regarding environmental conditions. Cold-hardy, resilient and sun-loving. Poorly tolerates early autumn frosts, alternating thaws and frosts, and spring frosts (buds are killed at -4 degrees Celsius). Prefers loose, fertile, moist soil with a small amount of clay. Prefers sunny sites with good air circulation.

Planting: Plant seedlings preferably in spring, but autumn is also possible. Pear seedlings usually have a poorly developed root system, so the pear hardly grows during the first 2 years. The soil from the hole should be mixed with organic and mineral-potassium fertilizers. Fill the mixture to the top of the hole. The root collar must be left 3 cm above ground level.

Pruning: requires thinning of shoots.

Diseases and pests: the most common diseases are fruit rot, sooty fungus, rust, powdery mildew, pear gall mite. Resistant to scab.

Use: advantages of the cultivar – high yield, undemanding in growing conditions and care. Fruits have high eating quality, tolerate transport well, and store for a long time while retaining their taste and marketable qualities.