Golden Spice Pear vs Capilano Apricot - TreeTime.ca

Golden Spice Pear vs Capilano Apricot

Pyrus Golden Spice

Prunus Capilano

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

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Capilano Apricot

Golden Spice Pear produces delicious fruit and has other features that make it a striking accent tree. It is one of the few pears that successfully grows on the Canadian prairies. In late August, small, yellow pears with a slight red overlay will ripen and be ready for a variety of needs, including: fresh eating, canning, jams, and baking. They are slightly sweet with a crisp texture. Come fall, the green foliage transitions to orange, red, or burgundy, adding a burst of color to your yard.

Golden Spice Pear requires upkeep to ensure its survival and longevity. Regular pruning is recommended in late winter or early spring to maintain the oval shape and overall health of the tree. An additional pear or apple tree is required within 150 m (500’) for cross pollination and fruit production to occur.

Capilano Apricot is a cold-hardy variety known for its sweet, juicy, full-flavored fruit. It produces white to pink blooms in early spring, before the leaves emerge, followed by golden-yellow, freestone apricots. They ripen from mid-July to early August and are well-suited for fresh eating, baking, wine, canning, and preserves.

The Capilano Apricot originated from three trees planted in Edmonton’s Capilano neighbourhood during the 1960s. As they began producing fruit, local fruit enthusiasts took notice and propagated the trees, with the southernmost becoming particularly popular. Though the original trees no longer exist, the Capilano Apricot remains a widely sought-after cold-hardy variety.

Capilano Apricot is generally considered self-pollinating, but planting with another variety for cross-pollination can increase yields.

Note: The early bloom time makes the flowers vulnerable to spring frosts, which can reduce or eliminate the fruit crop

Golden Spice Pear Quick Facts

Capilano Apricot Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3b
Height: 5 m (18 ft)
Height: 8 m (25 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 6 m (20 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: spreading to rounded
Spreading: suckering - low
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: high
Maintenance: high


Fall colour: burgundy
Flowers: white
Flowers: white to pink
Bloom time: early spring
Fruit: fade from blush to golden
Fruit: freestone apricots
Fruit size: 5cm in diameter
Firmness: firm
Flavor: sweet, crisp
Flavor: sweet, slightly tart
Harvest: late august early september
Harvest: mid summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no