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Nanking Cherry vs Beedle Pear
Prunus tomentosa
Pyrus Beedle
NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON
Nanking Cherry is a small deciduous shrub known for its attractive white blossoms and edible fruit. Its dark red berries are excellent for pies, jellies, and even fresh eating.
Nanking Cherry is highly regarded as a shade tolerant fruit. We often see it planted as a hedge on the north side of a house where few other plants will survive, let alone thrive.
Expect fruit mid to late July. The fruit can vary in sweetness and size considerably. We often hear that people prefer it to sour cherries. Perhaps this is because Nanking Cherry is more closely related to plums. In fact, it is sometimes used as a dwarfing rootstock for plums.
Note: This species is currently unavailable. Grow your own using Nanking Cherry seeds at SeedTime.ca.
Beedle Pear is sweet, soft, and juicy with no astringency making it great for fresh eating. They typically ripen on the tree in early September. The medium-sized pears keep relatively well when compared to other varieties. For most years it is a reliable producer on the prairies.
The Beedle Pear is a cold hardy pear with Canadian roots. John Beedle discovered it on a city boulevard in St. Albert, Alberta.
For fruit production, another pear variety is required for cross-pollination. Can be paired with Krazulya Pear or Ussurian Pear.