Evergreen Pear

Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Watering can be reduced after establishment. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. Pruning time: winter.

Use the glossy foliage of this tree to its fullest advantage by displaying it in an espaliered form. Or leave it in its natural form as a striking small tree with a rounded crown.

Yankee Point Carmel Creeper (Ceanothus griseus horizontalis 'Yankee Point') is a good low-growing companion with its deep blue flowers. Or try the taller and more intense blue of Concha California Lilac (Ceanothus x 'Concha'). A nearby planting of Pink Splendor Mirror Plant (Coprosma repens 'Pink Splendor') with its pink, green and yellow leaves is a perky addition.

This tree common in California gardens is classified with all the other edible fruits such as the apple in the family Rosaceae. Linnaeus named the genus to contain the trees native to Eurasia and North Africa, which are mostly orchard fruits. This species is native to the island of Taiwan and was classified by the Japanese botanist Bunzo Hayata, 1874-1934. He named it for another Japanese horticulturist, Takiya Kawakami 1871-1915 who likely developed it as a horticultural cultivar granted its own species.

The classical Latin name of these trees is pyrus which translates directly to "fire", describing their vulnerability to the disease fire blight.