Would an m26 rootstock work in this position?

[99percentchocolate]

Hoping picture has attached!
Thinking of an m26 rootstock pear tree in the back left hand corner (by the fence and where the slide is). Would it work there? The sun comes over the fence so it would be partial shade. Since this picture I've also laid paving slabs dotted around for my daughter to play hopscotch.
Thanks in advance!

mmm - M26 rootstock is a dwarfing one - eventual height about 10' . It would need to be away a bit from the fence I think. The eventual height of the tree is how far the roots grow out. Does the sun hit the side of the wall where the hanging ball is? I think that would be the better side , but I worry the tree may eventually take out most of the garden width , so you may be better getting an espalier or cordon and train against the wall.

I think M26 is an apple rootstock, not a pear rootstock OP.

Pears are usually grafted onto a quince rootstock.

My experience of pears is, that they are either underripe, or go mushy overnight.

Unless you are thinking of Nashi, the Asian pear in which case please go for it as they are delicious.

pah - of course - I'm thinking apples !

Thank you! And you're quite right about the quince/m26 - very new to this!

I think I'm just going to fill that concrete back next to the play kitchen with potted plants and I've already dug a narrow border alongside the wall where the hanging ball is which I think I'm going to try to fill with sunflowers. (Possibly?)
Thank you all!

Are you thinking of planting in the ground or in a pot. If in the ground I would dig around first to see what is there. Quiite often in corners the soil is poor, full of concrete to support the fence and in our case a massive concrete drain that we were not allowed to touch.

Originally I was thinking ground but on second thoughts it may take up too much of the area so potted may be better.

The thing about putting a tree in quite a confined space is that you'll create more shade. I know that is stating the absolutely bleeding obvious, but hear me out! You have fairly high boundaries there already, which are going to cast shadows, and if you add a tree canopy on top, it might feel a bit like a 'lid' over the garden. I would go instead for the plan of creating a focal point at the middle of the end (what about a garden mirror to add to your light?) and then planting mid height things with defined textures in a reasonably symmetrical fashion around the edges, perhaps with some topiary at the corners? Covering the fences/walls with some climbers will work wonders. If it's a shaded garden, then work with that rather than planting lots of sun-loving things. There are many, many gorgeous shade plants!

Sorry, I haven't had my coffee yet and I realise I am being a total idiot and not explaining myself well at all. Ahem.

My argument is not about all trees, but against spreading canopies, like those you find on most mature pear trees. You could put in height - that's not a problem - but maybe go for something tall and upright, which would give you the same distraction from the houses in the back without casting shade over your entire plot?

I'm going to get myself a Lemsip and some caffeine before I show myself up further

Do you specifically want to grow pears, or do you want a pretty small tree in that spot?

If it were me, I would get a fantastic apple such as a pitmaston pineapple, and plant it a foot away from the sunniest position and espalier it. So that it grows against the wall or fence, along three wires, which also gives you the ability to let your daughter run around without breaking it as it can take a while for trees to become sturdy enough to cope with children. You will also get fruit quicker. I wouldn't go for a pear, due to the issues mentioned earlier, and also the number of apples that are likely to be around to assist pollination is much higher than the number of pears.

Plant a foot away from the fence or wall, in the summit position. Doh!

Sunniest. Aarrgghhhhh.

I totally agree with Shove about the canopy.