The Medieval Garden Enclosed—Our Pear

This article was originally published on The Medieval Garden Enclosed, a discontinued blog of The Met Cloisters.

The pear tree flourishes in its own bay on the west side of the garden

The pear blossoms and young leaves emerge simultaneously

The veteran espaliered pear just coming into bloom in Bonnefont Cloister garden has grown there since the 1940s. The tree is responding well to a program of rejuvenatory pruning.

The espaliered pear is one of the most beloved trees at The Cloisters, and has graced Bonnefont garden for more than sixty years. This method of training fruit trees against a wall is a Renaissance development, rather than a medieval technique. The heat and light that radiate from the wall help to ripen the fruit.

Photographs by Corey Eilhardt