Bartlett Pear Tree in So Cal

Question from Shane:

My family loves pears and when my wife saw a Bartlett Pear tree at a local Southern California garden center, she bought it. Well I finally got around to planting it but before I did, I did some research. It appears that the tree is way out of it’s preferred climate zone. Will this pear tree grow and fruit in Southern California even if I find another tree to cross pollinate it with? If not, I am going to take the tree back.

Answer from Pat:

When choosing a deciduous fruit tree it is very important to always choose a variety that is adapted to your climate zone. It is a shame that garden centers often sell the wrong things. Bartlett pears will not produce fruit worth eating if any at all nor will they leaf out properly in mild zones of Southern California. Yank it out and replace with ‘Floridahome’ and ‘Hood’. (They need to pollinate each other.) Or plant ‘Moonglow’, another low-chill variety and it’s somewhat like ‘Bartlett’. If you live in Sunset Zone 24 you are unlikely to have much luck even with these varieties. If you live in Zone 23 you should be able to get a crop.