Pear Hardy Giant

Hardy Giant Pear

Pyrus pyrifolia ‘Hardy Giant’
Starking® Hardy Giant™ Asian Pear / Hardy Giant Asian Pear

‘Hardy Giant’ is a cold-hardy deciduous fruit tree and Asian pear cultivar producing very large, round, russeted fawn-brown fruit with crisp, juicy, sweet flesh. Stark Bro’s lists it as a Korean-origin Asian pear introduced in 1969, with fruit commonly weighing 12–15 oz. each and storing up to nine months under refrigeration. Like other Asian pears, the fruit is crisp and apple-like and is eaten ripe directly from the tree rather than ripened off the tree like many European pears.

Type: Deciduous fruit tree / dwarf Asian pear
Mature Size: 6–7 ft. wide × 8–10 ft. tall on dwarf rootstock; semi-dwarf forms may reach 9–11 ft. wide × 12–15 ft. tall.
USDA Zones: 4a–8b
Form: Compact, upright to rounded fruit tree
Light: Full sun
Soil / Water: Loamy, fertile, well-drained soil; average moisture during establishment and fruit sizing; prefers soil pH around 6.0–7.0.
Bloom Time / Length: Early spring; white flowers bloom early and need compatible pollen for fruit set.
Fruit Time: October; late-season fruit is ready to eat at harvest and stores very well.
Wildlife: Flowers attract bees and other pollinating insects; ripe or dropped fruit may attract birds, deer, squirrels, raccoons, and other wildlife

Features & Landscape Uses:
Excellent for small orchards, edible landscapes, backyard fruit gardens, espalier, sunny borders, and cold-climate Asian pear collections. ‘Hardy Giant’ is especially useful where a very large, crisp, long-storing Asian pear is wanted. Stark Bro’s also lists it as resistant to pear leaf spot and hardy to zone 4, making it a strong option for northern home orchards.

Care:
Plant in full sun with good air circulation and well-drained soil. Prune annually during dormancy to maintain structure, control height, and encourage fruiting wood. Thin fruit when crops are heavy to improve size and reduce limb stress. Monitor for fire blight, pear psylla, codling moth, scab, rust, and Japanese beetle damage. Water young trees during dry periods, especially while fruit is sizing.

Pollination:
Requires cross-pollination with another compatible pear. Stark Bro’s lists compatible options such as 20th Century Asian Pear, Bartlett Pear, Peggy Asian Pear, and New Century Asian Pear planted within about 100 ft.

Chill Requirement:
About 700 chill hours. 

Plant type

Fruit Tree

Height

8-10'

Width

6-7'

Hardiness zones

4–8

Sunlight

Full Sun

Growth rate

Moderate

Flower color

Light Coral

Leaf color

Green

Fall color

Red

Attracts

Bees, Butterflies

Soil

Moist well-drained, Rich

Landscape use

Accent Plant, Home Orchard

Shape

Compact, Upright

Fragrant

Yes

Drought tolerant

No