Plant of the week: Pyrus salicifolia ’Pendula’ is where I live also known as the olive tree of the North (read Scandinavia). It’s easy to understand why, the eucalyptus colouring is the same and the shape of the leaves are similar. It’s a very pretty, elegant small deciduous tree with weeping branches falling to the ground.
As with many fruit trees the weeping silver pear loves a sunny location. It has small white flowers in spring which evolve into green/brown fruit in the autumn. In some species these are edible. It will reach a height of around 6 metres and is therefore very suitable for small gardens. It’s reasonably hardy and prefers moist, well-draining soil. Or just plain well-draining, it grows very well indeed in sandy soil.
To me, Pyrus salicifolia ’Pendula’ is a solitaire. I think it looks at its absolute best either planted by itself in a lawn or in a border with low ground cover planting. Do not crowd this beauty! An excellent contrasting colour would be orange, or perhaps pink.
The silver pear has been given the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. The very same organisation puts the plant in Pruning Group 1. Meaning it requires little or no pruning and in fact may be spoilt by harder pruning. If you do decide to prune and personally I think it’s sometimes required, Rachel the Gardener provides helpful advise.
