Winter cole
Bonne de Malines
 
Fruit ripening time: April
 
Pollination partners: Beurre Hardy, Buerre Bosc, Beurre Easter, Comice, Clapps Favourite, Conference, Josephine, Packham, Williams, Winter Nelis, 20th Century Pear Nashi, Chojuro
 
 
Winter Cole is a seedling of Winter Nelis, with a good flavour, tender flesh and lots of juice, making this a lovely eating pear. Also good for baking and preserves.
 
Small to medium size fruit. Can be a prolific bearer, and tend towards biennial fruiting
Skin is a dull brown-green and partially russetted. Flesh is white, granular and tender.
 
A late season pear that stores well.
 
Tree Size:
 
Dwarf Tree: 2 – 3 m high. Depending on pruning and the tree shape these pear trees can be kept as small as 2 m in height and planted as close as 50cm apart. Must be supported on a trellis or a stake
 
Semi-Dwarf: 3.5 - 4.5 m high
 
Full Size: 10 m +
 
Soil: Will adapt well to most soils, but heavy, moist soils are preferred to light, shallow soils.
Dwarf and semi-dwarf trees will not tolerate drought.
 
Will do best in well drained soils. Established trees can withstand wet conditions, but will not tolerate waterlogging. Prefer neutral to slightly acidic soils and do not like high pH soils
 
NOTE: The photo shows a generic picture of pears, these are not Winter Cole pears