'Blakes Pride' is a hybrid European pear in the rose family (Rosaceae) and was named in honor of Roland C. Blake, who worked at the USDA Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. It was introduced in 1999 and parentage is US 446 x US 505. 'Blakes Pride' requires 800 chill hours and needs to be planted with another variety for pollination. Trees can be grafted to dwarf or semi-dwarf stock for heights of 8 to 10 feet or 10 to 15 feet, respectively. Plant in full sun in moist, well-drained, fertile soil. Here is an NC State guide to caring for fruit trees, including dealing with insects and diseases. It is resistant to fire blight and pear scab. The white, fragrant spring flowers are followed by edible fruits in September. The pears have yellow skins with off-white sweet flesh that can be enjoyed raw or cooked, canned or frozen. Pears are grown commercially or in the home edible garden. nsects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Susceptible to anthracnose, canker, scab and powdery mildew. Insect visitors include pear psylla, coddling moth and borers. VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Pyrus communis .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Fills a similar nicheMalus domestica CrimsonCrisp®Pyrus communis 'Hosui'Pyrus communis 'Kosui'
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Edible; Tree
Life cycle
Woody
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12-24 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
2 - Understory
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblanceolate; Oblong
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
1 to 4 inch long, green, oval, alternate leaves with serrated edges—yellow fall color.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Corymb
Flower shape
Cup
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
White flowers with all parts in fives in clusters in the spring.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Gold/Yellow
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
> 3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
The pear skin is golden-yellow, flecked with lenticels and patches of russet. The flesh is off-white and sweet. Matures in September.
Bark color
Dark Gray
Bark detail
The bark is smooth and gray with lenticels becoming blocky or furrowed with age.
Stem detail
Young twigs are glossy reddish-brown, often developing a scaly, grey-brown, and slightly furrowed bark as they mature. i produces numerous dwarf shoots on older wood, needed for fruiting.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Fall
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn; Meadow
Landscape theme
Edible Garden
Design feature
Flowering Tree
Garden tags
#edible garden #fruit tree #frequent insect problems #frequent disease problems #deciduous tree #edible fruit #spring flowers #fall fruits #pear #high maintenance #th-taste #th-wildlife
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
North Carolina Production Guide for Smaller Orchard Plantings