YOUR VIEWS AND COMMENTS
This guide has been prepared with as much attention to detail as we can possibly apply to the subject matter but if you find any inaccuracies please do not hesitate to contact us either via our contact us page or by leaving a comment in the section at the end of this page. Any inaccuracies will be corrected as soon as possible. We also appreciate any more general comments you may like to leave.
COMPARISON TABLE FOR PEAR TREES
Prices apply to a single tree and ignore discounts for multiple items. All prices (in £) shown below include delivery to the UK mainland as stated on the suppliers website. Outside of the UK mainland other charges may well apply. The list below is in alphabetic sequence. Our recommendations at the end of the article are our own personal preferences which are based entirely on our own personal experience.
The comparison below is not exhaustive, it a list of about 12 of the most common online suppliers in the UK. Clicking on the name of a supplier will take you to their website
| SUPPLIER | TOTAL COST | COMMENTS |
ASHRIDGE TREES |
30.49 | Crystal clear descriptions, good choice of other rootstocks and forms. The delivery charge of £15 is high and the minimum order value is £20 (excluding delivery) is £20 which means that you can’t order one tree on its own. |
BLACKMOOR |
31.30 | They only sell 2 year old trees, not one year old ones. Items suggested at checkout (wooden stake and tree ties) are an excellent idea for the sake of convenience. For a two year old tree the price is reasonable |
BUCKINGHAM
|
24.90 | Clearly and honestly described items, high postage which only becomes apparent at checkout, although overall price is still very competitive. |
CHRIS BOWERS |
29.85 | The main product page for this variety doesn’t specify if this is bare rooted or container grown. We have assumed bare-rooted. |
CROWDERS |
49.99 | Ridiculously high price, very unclear product information, postage charges are complicated. See note A at the end of this comparison. This company appears to have stopped selling to the public, see here. |
DEACONS |
24.05 | Competitive pricing. The items have only very basic descriptions and the inclusion of the Pink Lady apple tree (see note C below) in a UK site is questionable without mentioning it will not produce the expected taste in almost all areas in mainland England (see here). We had delivery problems and poor customer service in 2017. Tree quality is only just adequate in our experience. |
MAIL ORDER
|
34.94 | Only sell 2 year old trees in containers. The postage is a bit of a shock when you get to the checkout, very excessive compared to the normal charges. |
ORANGE
|
28.40 | Clearly and honestly described items. A huge choice of rootstocks plus different forms (e.g. espaliers). The postage is an unpleasant surprise when you get to the checkout. |
PARKERS |
19.98 | They claim the tree comes on the “most dwarf root stock” which is not true. Quince C is more dwarfing. Slightly worrying use of bad English on the website! We have never purchased from them because we have heard of too many complaints about sub-standard plants and trees. They are cheap but we feel this does not make up for the lack of quality |
THOMPSON
|
29.95 | TM don’t state the age of the pear tree on the product page. They also describe the trees as being supplied as “root wrap” which is not a term used by any other major supplier – what is a root wrap? Pricey and from reports, quality is only average. In 2017 they ceased selling Concorde so we too the prices for the very similar Conference pear tree. |
TREES ONLINE |
41.00 | Only sell 2 year old trees in containers. Very pricey. This quote from their website telling you why to buy from them is extremely dubious: “we need your business as our staff have a long history of mortgage addiction and you are here now, finding another tree website is just hassle“. |
VICTORIANA NURSERY |
28.45 | Excellent information on the product page about this variety and pears in general. |
WALCOT NURSERY |
32.25 | Walcot’s only sell organically grown fruit trees, and they grow the ones they sell on their own nursery. Their trees are raised on plant nurseries certified by the Soil Association and inspected by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). From our experience this is the number one source for organically grown fruit trees in the UK. Prices are the best for organically grown trees. |
NOTE A: CROWDERS – The rootstock is not stated and their is almost no product information at all. This is is most definitely at the bottom of our pile for companies to buy a pear tree from.
NOTE C: DEACON’S NURSERY – there is no Pink Lady variety of apple tree, it is in fact a Cripps Pink. “Pink Lady” is a registered trademark.
NON-SPECIALIST SUPPLIERS
There are several non-specialist online suppliers which sell fruit trees, these range from auction sites to multi-national general purpose stores. We would caution against buying fruit trees through these suppliers unless you are very clear on who the ultimate supplier really is.
A quick check of some of the major online stores indicates that there are very few bargain prices indeed, some are sky high. We came across one supplier, Crowders, selling a Concorde pear tree for an amazingly high £83.80 plus £1.99 postage and packing.
OUR PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION
The result of the comparison surprised us with J Parkers coming out the clear winners as far as prices are concerned. Our personal experience with the plants they sell online has not been good so we no longer buy from them. Click here, here and here for some other unbiased and mixed opinions about this company. The choice is up to you if you want to use them.
We would personally recommend the following suppliers based on the price comparison above and our own personal experience (in alphabetic order):
- Blackmoor
- Buckingham Nurseries
- Walcot Nursery (for organically grown trees)
- Victoriana Nursery
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Rootstocks and Size
Guide to Pollination
Planting
Care Plan
Pruning Pear Trees
Harvest and Storage
Pests and Disease
Top ten pear varieties
Buying – Price Comparison
BUYING PEAR TREES PRICE COMPARISON
By David Marks
This review and comparison of pear tree prices was compiled for the 2015 growing season. The prices are based on buying a Concorde pear tree in the UK which is bare-rooted, on Quince A rootstock and a one year old (maiden). These were chosen because they are a very common choice for those looking to buy pear trees.
Where those exact features are not available from a supplier we name the nearest alternative they offer.