Ok I'll try the Pics again:

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Michael:

4 years is not enough for fruiting buds on most European varieties. Those look like ordinary leaf buds to me. Hate to say it, but I waited 9 years for blossoms on my European pears. After that, they became more numerous every year.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Thanks for the bad news Don: with my luck I'll probably develop some allergy to pears by the time they start producing. Hope they don't end up as 10 year old bird perches!

Michael

My 4 year old Warren and Seckel pears both had small crops (5 to 20 fruits) this year. The buds in the photos do look small for flower buds, bud maybe there are a few hiding! What rootstock? I try to use OHX333 for vigorous varieties (such as Warren, Ubileen, Rescue), and P. communis or some other standard rootstock for really punky varieties (like Seckel).

Terence, don't remember as they were planted a few months after a bout with encephalitis (there went my short term memory). You might say I FORGOT to write the info down. If I don't record it, it's gone. Sorry.

Michael

PS Fortunately the variety labels stayed on for 2 years!

I'll add that while looking at trees at the local farm store, i noticed a LOT of their pears had flowers/fruit (this was in May of last year)... WHY? I always assumed they took forever to bear, but obviously these trees (don't remember the varieties, but i know i saw a Seckel with fruit!). The trees were VERY nice looking and came from a place somewhere up by Minneapolis.

I'm going to take a look at my Seckel, also from 2005, tomorrow.