Williams’ Bon Chrétien

Pear

From £29.00

A good early eating variety, medium-large, pale green turning golden yellow. Juicy and sweet flesh, regular. Read more

Attributes

  • Storing: September
  • Pollination group 3
  • Uses: Eating
  • Picking month: Early August
  • Award-winning

Container Options

Rootstock
Size Form Price
Rootstock
Size Form Price
Rootstock Quince A Size 12L container Form Bush £55.00
Rootstock Quince A Size 12L container Form Half-Standard £62.00
Out of Stock

Bare root Options

Rootstock
Size Form Price
Rootstock
Size Form Price
Rootstock
Size Form Price
Rootstock
Size Form Price
Rootstock
Size Form Price
Rootstock Quince Eline® Size 2 year Form Bush £37.00
Out of Stock
Rootstock Quince A Size 2 year Form Bush £36.00
Out of Stock
Rootstock Pyro Dwarf® Size 1 year Form Maiden £33.00
Out of Stock
Rootstock Quince A Size 2 year Form Half-Standard £36.00
Out of Stock
Rootstock Quince A Size 1 year Form Maiden £29.00
Out of Stock
Full Description

Description: Williams is one of the most popular old English pear varieties, most likely a variety to be on a supermarket shelf as fresh or tinned fruit. A great garden tree that produces regular crops of medium-large sized oval-shaped fruits. The smooth skin is pale green in colour turning golden yellow with a very juicy, sweet and refreshing flesh. Also hardy enough for nothern areas. Perfect for eating fresh but also good for poaching and preserving. The tree itself is compact in habit, has stunning white scented flowers in the spring and oval green leaves. An overall excellent early eating variety.

History: Originated from Aldermaston, Berkshire during the 18th Century. Discovered by Mr Wheeler, a schoolmaster, who found the seedling in his garden. The next schoomaster to have the garden, Mr Stair, sent the grafts to Richard Williams, a nurseryman of Turnham Green. The pear was then named after him. Recieved an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

Pollination Partners: Pear Conference Pear Doyenne du Comice Pear Fondante d'Automne Pear Glou Morceau Pear Josephine de Malines Pear Louise Bonne of Jersey Pear Moonglow Pear Winter Nelis

Some FAQs

Tree Care

Your tree will have been pruned prior to despatch so there should be no need to prune straight away. The only exception is a bare root maiden which will not have been pruned. Some varieties will benefit from being pruned later – please see the variety specific information.

We would advise watering your tree when planting and then regularly during the first summer in the ground. Thereafter the level of watering will depend on the soil and weather conditions. It is best to not let young trees dry out.

A free booklet with simple instructions will also be included with your order.

You can also find more information in the ‘Advice’ section of our website. Click here for ‘How to Plant a Container Tree’ and here for ‘How to Plant a Bare Root Tree’.

Trees should always be planted as soon as possible. The only exception would be bare root trees if the soil is very frozen or waterlogged, in which case heel the trees in until the ground is ready. Bare root trees must be planted before new growth appears in spring, this is usually in March.

If your tree is to be kept in a container, then we’d advise repotting into a larger container as soon as possible. Please check to see whether the tree is suitable for a pot before purchasing.

Delivery

Yes, you can collect the trees from the nursery. Please select the ‘Collect’ option when placing the order. We will email you as soon as your order is ready for collection, we will then need at least two working days to prepare your order.

The delivery charge is calculated according to the number of boxes needed to send the trees. One container grown tree will need one box; bare root trees vary but we can usually get about three in a box. The total delivery cost will be shown when you place the order.

We currently do not deliver to any addresses outside of mainland Great Britain.

We will notify you by email when your order has been despatched. It will usually be delivered within three days from notification.

Our boxes are 2 metres tall and 30cm square.

We are unable to offer a scheduled delivery service as we cannot guarantee an exact delivery date. We can aim for a specific week if you let us know.

Our courier company will leave the package in the safest place if there is no one there, so there is no need to sign for the delivery.

Container grown trees are available from August and bare root trees are available from November. We always aim to deliver your order as soon as every item is ready for despatch.

If the whole order is ready when purchased, it usually takes between 5 and 10 working days to arrive.

See below for a guide on when bare root trees are usually ready for despatch.

Early November – Two year old plums, cherries, apples and then pears.
Late November – One year maiden plums, cherries, apples and then pears.
Late November/Early December – Ornamental prunus, sorbus, thorns, malus and then pyrus. 

This is an estimate as the lifting of bare root trees is very weather dependent.

Returns

If you are unhappy with your tree when it arrives, please email sales@fpmatthews.co.uk within five working days and we will get back to you as soon as possible.