Weeping silver pear

Sun

Full sun for the best silver foliage and flowering.

Water

Water regularly while establishing; moderately drought-tolerant once rooted. Avoid persistently wet ground.

Soil

Well-drained loam, clay, chalk or sandy soil; tolerates alkaline soil and relatively poor ground, but not waterlogging.

Height

13-26 ft (4-8 m)

Spread

13-26 ft (4-8 m)

Flowers

Small creamy-white flowers in clusters in mid-spring, appearing with the young leaves.

Foliage

Narrow, willow-like leaves covered in silvery hairs, especially when young; usually little autumn colour.

Growth

Slow to moderate; allow room for the crown to broaden over many years.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   7 ft (2 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.2 m)

3. After 2 years

   8 ft (2.3 m)

4. After 3 years

   8 ft (2.5 m)

5. After 5 years

   9 ft (2.8 m)

About 26 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Growth rate

Slow

• Water deeply during dry spells for the first two growing seasons, moistening the whole root area.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch over the root area, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Stake only if the root ball moves in the wind; use a flexible tie and remove the support once the tree is stable.
• Avoid routine heavy feeding; use a light spring feed only if growth is weak and soil fertility is low.
• Remove shoots arising below the graft union or from the roots before they become woody.

Pruning. In late winter, remove dead, damaged and crossing branches, then shorten only those trailing branches that obstruct paths or rest on the ground. Preserve the natural arching framework rather than shearing the crown; remove suspected fire blight promptly in dry weather.

Autumn

Plant while the soil is workable, allowing space for the mature crown; use spring planting in very cold regions.

Late winter

Prune lightly to remove damaged or crossing wood and keep paths clear.

Spring

Renew mulch, keeping it away from the trunk, and check stakes and ties.

Late spring

Check new shoots for aphids and blackened, hooked tips that may indicate fire blight.

Summer

Water young trees deeply during prolonged dry weather and remove rootstock suckers.

Late autumn

Clear fallen diseased leaves and check that the planting area drains freely.

• Use as a specimen in a sunny lawn or gravel garden, leaving space to see the full weeping outline.
• Pair with lavender, catmint and ornamental grasses for a silver-and-blue planting in well-drained soil.
• Place against a dark hedge or evergreen backdrop to make the pale foliage stand out.
• Use beside a terrace as a small focal tree, set back far enough that trailing branches do not block access.

Garden styles it suits: Dry gravel garden, Mediterranean, Modern Mediterranean, Modern courtyard, Cottage garden and White garden.

Plant it with: English lavender, Catmint, Russian sage, Lamb's ears, Bearded iris and Feather reed grass.

Wildlife: Spring flowers provide pollen and nectar for insects. The branching crown offers shelter and potential nesting sites for small birds; small fruits may be taken by wildlife.

• Fire blight causes blackened flowers and hooked, scorched-looking shoots. Cut affected branches well below visible damage in dry weather, disinfect tools between cuts and avoid excessive nitrogen feeding.
• Pear rust produces orange leaf spots, sometimes with raised growths beneath. Remove affected fallen leaves; seek local advice if infection repeatedly causes substantial leaf loss.
• Aphids can distort young shoots and leave sticky honeydew. Encourage natural predators and wash small colonies off with water; use insecticidal soap only if needed and avoid spraying flowers.
• Waterlogged soil can cause root decline and dieback. Improve drainage before planting or choose a better-drained site; adding gravel only to the planting hole will not solve poor drainage.

The foliage and fruit flesh are not generally known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. As with other pears, the seeds contain cyanogenic compounds and should not be deliberately eaten or fed to animals, especially crushed; a few accidentally swallowed whole seeds are unlikely to cause poisoning.

• Willow-leaved pear (Pyrus salicifolia)

  The ordinary species has similarly narrow silver leaves but a more upright or spreading crown rather than the strongly drooping branches of 'Pendula'.

• Olive (Olea europaea)

  Olive is evergreen, with opposite leaves that are greener above and silver beneath; weeping silver pear has alternate leaves and loses them in autumn.

• Weeping willow (Salix babylonica)

  Weeping willow becomes much larger, has greener, finely toothed leaves and bears catkins rather than white pear flowers.

Pyrus is the Latin name for pear, salicifolia means willow-leaved, and 'Pendula' refers to the hanging branches.

Propagation. Usually propagated by grafting or budding onto a suitable pear rootstock. Seedlings do not reliably retain the weeping habit, so buy a named, grafted plant if you want this form.

Accepted botanical name

Pyrus salicifolia

Native range

Iran, North Caucasus, Transcaucasus and Turkey.

Measured

Average height 700 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.