This is Williams Bon Chré en, one of the first beurré pears to be widely grown in England from the late 18th Century. "Bon Chré en" (Good Chris an) is named a er Francis of Paola, a Spanish holy man who King Louis XI of France called to his deathbed as a healer in 1483. Francis offered the king a pear seed from his home with instruc ons to plant it. Since then pear trees in France have been called " "Bon Chré ens" and many other pear varie es were called Chré en. The original tree is said have been discovered by a schoolmaster at Aldermaston in his garden, and Williams was a nurseryman who later sold it widely in England. In the USA, it is s ll called Bartle a er the garden owner who had it without knowing its original name and gave it his own. Its actual origina on and date is probably lost in me.
Usually following the plums and pears and some mes overlapping , especially this year, are sweet cherries, Prunus avium. Like pears, the flowers are out as the leaves emerge, so the serrated leaves, quite o en reddish as they emerge, are the best iden fica on guide. Some wild cherries have a faint pink flush, especially as they fade, but generally it is the non‐na ve oriental cherry species that are pink. Later flowering quince and medlars, with by far the largest wild fruit tree flowers, come out in May and flower at the same me as the normally pink apple flowers.
A tall erect pear tree in spring just before flowering. At the me, it was 22m high, but it has since been shortened to reduce the risk of wind blow.
A St Germain pear in October, will last un l June the following year. Best cooked by roas ng or baking. 19