For decades the service pear was more or less forgotten as a garden plant. Now the different varieties of the pear are experiencing a certain "renaissance" and some hobby gardeners are wondering whether it is actually a shrub or a tree.

The pear can also be grown as a shrub

The term "shrub" does not come from botany

When gardeners ask themselves whether to classify plant varieties as shrubs or trees, it usually has to do with finding the right location for planting. In addition, it is also about the optics, because bushes are generally associated with a bushy growth with a certain privacy protection character. First of all, you should know that the term "shrub" is actually not a criterion from botany. Rather, this term describes a growth form in which several main shoots grow more or less parallel and from these a bushy, branched overall shape emanates. That is why the service pear could also be seen as a kind of hybrid between the growth forms of shrub and tree, depending on the care it is due.

The service pear as a shrub

Basically, pear trees tend to form several main trunks next to each other, similar to the growth habit of a hazelnut. However, the term shrub is also associated with a certain size, which the service pear and hazelnut can significantly exceed after just a few years under good growth conditions. If you want to cultivate your service pear in the garden as a reasonably compact shrub, then there are the following options:

  • cut the service pear regularly very early on
  • deliberately plant a small variety
  • limit growth a little by growing in a bucket

In addition, you should avoid fertilization as far as possible, since service pears are very frugal in this regard anyway.

Raise the service pear from a bush to a tree

It is a question of personal taste and integration into a certain garden aesthetic, whether a service pear should be raised more into a shrub or into a tree. The pear is of course more likely to be perceived as a tree if it has reached a certain height over the years. Pruning should always be done very discreetly and consciously with a focus on a natural-looking crown shape, as pruning errors in the service pear often take years to grow out again. With a little gardening skill, you can also prune a service pear in order to achieve a tree-like habit despite the multi-stemmed nature.

tips

The "training" of a service pear in a compact shrub form can prove advantageous when the edible fruit is to be harvested for consumption.

Category:

Trees