Q: I am trying to find the type of pear my Mom used in making pear preserves The pears would be ripe, but rock hard and a very pale green/yellowish color covered with brown specks.

Second, it's very difficult to tell when to pick pears from the tree, because they don't look ripe until they're quite far along, and some varieties never will soften on the tree.

But then (and now), perhaps the most important reason to love your Kieffer pear tree was for its ability to survive, and even thrive, in less-than-ideal growing conditions.

Pear trees can be roughly divided into two types: European and Asian. This distinction is not just about origin but also the fruit they produce. Fruit from Asian pears is usually crunchy and round ...

Those are Bradford pear trees, ... Cunningham says. Or, if you’re foodscaping, try a Moonglow or Kieffer pear. Those two “will give gardeners delicious fruit, sans the stink,” he says.

He suggests that if someone wants a flowering pear tree, they turn to types that actually produce pears, like the Kieffer. The Arboretum grows several of them at their new edible display garden, A ...

If you want only one pear tree, select a self-pollinating variety such as Orient, Baldwin, Kieffer, and Spalding. Other pear varieties require cross-pollination.

Dear Jane: Enclosed are leaves from my 25-foot-tall, 6-year-old Hoisen pear tree that suddenly developed black specks and spots on the underside of all of its leaves in early June. Now some leaves ...

Each tree is three gallons, and attendees are limited to three trees per household, and two households per car. ... Brown Turkey Fig, Donut Peach, Red Baron Peach, Kieffer Pear, Pineapple Pear, ...

He suggests that if someone wants a flowering pear tree, they turn to types that actually produce pears, like the Kieffer. The Arboretum grows several of them at their new edible display garden, A ...