transplanting pear trees

With my son's help today, I was very pleased to transplant one of my two espaliered pear trees (a 'Parker' pear) to my garden plot. It is nearly dead after about 5 years on my patio in the shade of the grape arbor and has never bloomed or produced fruit. I'm hoping it will recover and produce fruit at my garden plot.

I planted it along the north edge of my garden and velcro'ed the branches to the fence. Since pears need cross-pollination by a different species, I am planning to transplant my other espaliered pear tree (a 'Bartlett' pear) to my plot soon (tomorrow?). It also would really like some sun. I purchased both pears as a small trees and did the horizontal espalier myself (not a very good job).

Reviving these two pear trees may be a lost cause, but it doesn't hurt to try. I'm hoping to find some salt marsh hay soon to mulch the new transplants. I'd also like some tree wrap to protect the trunks from winter winds and animals.

I looked up some information on my pear varieties:

Parker is an University of Minnesota release (1934), that produces fruit similar in size, flavor and texture to 'Bartlett.' Harvest mid-September. The 'Bartlett' pear we know in North America, is the same variety called 'Williams' elsewhere. 'Bartletts' are harvested in late August to early September. Bartlett carries a true pyriform "pear shape," a rounded bell on the bottom half of the fruit, then a definitive shoulder with a smaller neck or stem end. They are extremely aromatic pears. 'Bartletts' are green changing to yellow as they ripen.

Pears should be harvested when fully mature, but before they become ripe. If allowed to ripen on-tree, natural deposits of lignin and cellulose develop in the flesh, causing a "gritty" texture.