Pyrus salicifolia 'Pendula'

Common name: Weeping Silver Pear

Description: Pyrus salicifolia 'Pendula' is one of the most elegant and widely admired ornamental trees for the British garden, offering a superb combination of graceful weeping form and striking silvery-grey foliage. The long, narrow, willow-like leaves are clothed in a fine silvery down when they first emerge in spring, creating a shimmering, almost luminous effect in the garden. As the season progresses, the foliage retains a soft silver-grey tone that contrasts beautifully with darker shrubs and bold perennials, making it an outstanding choice for creating contrast in mixed borders and formal garden schemes alike. In early spring, clusters of small creamy-white flowers appear before the leaves, providing a delicate and charming display that is attractive to early pollinators. Small, hard, inedible pear-like fruits follow in autumn. The strongly weeping habit of the branches, which cascade gracefully to the ground on a clear stem, gives this tree a timeless, sculptural quality that lends structure and year-round presence to any garden setting.

Other benefits: outstanding silvery foliage for contrast planting; elegant weeping architectural form; year-round structural interest; suitable for formal and contemporary schemes

Wildlife attraction: bees, hoverflies, early-season pollinators

Height & spread (approx.) at 10 years: 5m x 4m

Position: best in full sun; tolerates partial shade though foliage colour and habit are best in an open, sunny position

Soil pH: adaptable; performs well in neutral to slightly alkaline soils; pH 6.0–7.5

Moisture: moderate watering required; tolerates periods of drought once established; prefers well-drained soil but adaptable to heavier clay soils

Winter hardiness: fully hardy to approximately -20°C; no winter protection required in the UK