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Olympic asian pear trees

Pyrus pyrifolia
Check pollinators >
  • Picking season: Late
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 4

Olympic is one of the largest-fruited Asian pear varieties. The fruits are the size of grapefruits, with a golden green russeted skin.

The flesh is crisp and juicy, with the sugary sweetness which is characteristic of Asian pears.

Olympic ripens late in the season - early October -  and the fruits retain their crisp flesh and sweet flavour in storage.

The tree has some ornamental value too - the spring blossom is very attractive and in autumn the leaves take on yellow and red hues.

Olympic asian pear trees for sale

Pot-grown

All our pot-grown trees are grown for us to our specification by the Frank P Matthews nursery.

All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.

  • PG12-year 12L pot-grown tree Pyrodwarf rootstock£62.50
    Grown for us by Frank P Matthews nursery
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
    Please try next season

Bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root treePyrodwarf rootstock£40.50
    Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years)
    Out of stock
    Please try next season

Need help? Ask our fruit tree experts

Call us on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.

Tree specification

Photos of trees as supplied | Tree sizes and forms

Delivery charges

Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.

Growing and Training

Olympic is a precocious variety, and will start fruiting within a couple of years of planting.

Olympic has some resistance to fireblight - although this is unlikely to be an issue in the UK.

To maximise fruit size, be sure to thin the fruitlets in late May. This will also help to avoid branches breaking under the weight of the pears.

Olympic is not self-fertile, but is readily pollinated by other Asian or European pears in flower at the same time.

History

Olympic is also widely-known as Korean Giant.


Olympic characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Flowering group4
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Climate suitabilityWarm climates

Using

  • Picking seasonLate
  • CroppingGood
  • Keeping (of fruit)3 months or more
  • Food usesEating fresh

Problems

  • Disease resistanceAverage
  • Fire blightSome resistance

Identification

  • Blossom colourWhite
  • Fruit colourGreen / YellowRusset

British-grown trees Trees grown in the UK.

Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK. Find out more.

In addition, all our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance. Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. The scheme aims to improve UK biosecurity by setting standards for all growers and retailers involved in selling plants in the UK. Find out more

Guaranteed fruit trees

When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden whilst it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund - subject to some conditions. Find out more.

More about asian pear trees

Asian pears belong to the species Pyrus pyrifolia and are closely related to our more common European pears (Pyrus communis). Asian pears are also known as Nashi pears, Chinese pears or Japanese pears - as the names suggest, this species originates in eastern Asia.

Despite the close relation, Asian pears have a very different character to European pears. They have a spherical shape, more like an apple than a pear. The flesh is also crisp like an apple.

The fruits are delicate and bruise easily, and hence are not often available in shops, so growing them at home is a good idea. They are usually eaten fresh (and usually peeled), and have a distinctive very sweet flavour, with little or no acidity. The pears can be stored in a fridge for a couple of months, or dried or frozen.

Like apples, and unlike most European pears, Asian pears are picked when they are ripe (European pears must usually be picked before they are ripe). Conversely, Asian pears cannot be picked before they are ripe because they will not continue to ripen after picking - another reason why these fruits are rarely available for sale.

Although the fruits may be very different, Asian pears grow in a similar way to European pears, and if you have a location which is good for European pears it will also be suitable for Asian pears. Furthermore, Asian and European pears will usually cross-pollinate if they are in flower at the same time.


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