Fondante d'Automne pear trees
£38.25 - £40.50Fondante d'Automne pear trees for sale
Choose a size - bare-root
BR11-year bare-root tree,Quince A rootstock£38.25
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
BR21-year bare-root tree,Pyrodwarf rootstock£40.50
Large tree
(3m-5m after 10 years)
Need help?
Ask our fruit tree experts on 01759 392007 or fill in our contact form.
Tree specification
Photos of trees as supplied |
Tree sizes and forms
Next deliveries
Delivery from week commencing 16th March 2026 onwards.
Delivery charges
Delivery for a single tree starts at £9.95, it is calculated based on your postcode.
All about Fondante d'Automne pear trees
Fondante d'Automne is an old-fashioned 19th century French pear variety which has been grown in England since Victorian times. Its name describes it well - this is a late-season pear with a sugary sweet flavour. The fruits are small to medium in size, usually covered with a light russet.
For best results, as with most pears, pick the fruits before they are fully ripe on the tree and ripen in a fruit bowl.
Growing and Training
Unlike many pears of French origin, Fondante d'Automne fruits reliably in the English climate, and is not susceptible to the usual pear diseases.
Recommended pollinators for Fondante d'Automne pear trees
Fondante d'Automne is not self-fertile, so you will need another different but compatible variety planted nearby in order to produce fruit.
The following varieties are good pollinators for Fondante d'Automne.
If you are not sure about pollination requirements just ask us.
WilliamsWilliams is a classic self-fertile English pear, with good flavour, heavy-cropping, and quite easy to grow.
ConferenceConference is a popular and reliable English pear, well-suited to the UK climate.
ConcordeA marriage of Conference and Comice - Concorde is easy to grow, heavy crops, excellent flavour.
SensationA red-coloured sport of the popular Williams pear, with a similar good flavour.
InvincibleInvincible is a high quality pear which can also cope with difficult conditions.
ObeliskA useful dwarf pear tree for small gardens, it grows with a tidy upright habit and is self-fertile.
Santa ClausAs the name suggests, Santa Claus is a late ripening dessert pear which keeps until Christmas.
GorhamA reliable early 20th century American pear, with a sweet creamy flesh.
- More pollinators >
History
Fondante d'Automne was raised in the 1820s, either by Mr Fievee of Maubeuge in northern France or Major Esperen of Malines in Belgium. It is usually known as Belle Lucrative in the USA and Australia. In Europe it is sometimes known as Seigneur Esperen.
Fondante d'Automne characteristics
- Gardening skillAverage
- Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
- Flowering group4
- Pollinating othersAverage
- Climate suitabilityTemperate climatesWarm climates
- Picking seasonLate
- CroppingGood
- Keeping (of fruit)2-3 weeks
- Food usesEating fresh
- CankerSome resistance
- Scab (Apple and Pear)Some resistance
- Country of originBelgiumFrance
- Period of origin1800 - 1849
- Fruit colourGoldRussetYellow
- Flesh colourWhite
British-grown trees 
Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK.
Find out more.
All our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance.
Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS.
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Guaranteed fruit trees
When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden while 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 pear trees
Dessert pears are amongst the most desirable of all orchard fruits, with their characteristic sweet flavours. Most of the varieties we know today arose in the first half of the 19th century, when there was an explosion of interest among amateur and professional growers in raising new varieties, particularly in Belgium, France, and England. The aim was to achieve a buttery soft flesh and exquisite rich flavour.
Unlike apples, dessert pears can't usually be eaten straight from the tree, and should not be left to ripen on the tree. Instead aim to pick them just before they are ripe, and then place them in a fruit bowl for a few days.
