The Bradford Pear, scourge of southern suburbia . . .

[AndyS]

This tree was promoted heavily by commercial nurseries back in the '80s. Makes a lovely spring display, grows fast and easy to care for. It was the go-to for developers, new home owners and plant sales. Turns out that Texas now has it on the invasive species list and Parks & Wildlife is suggesting a concerted effort to eradicate it. It is not native to the US and fragile as it matures. DO NOT park your car under one if there are high winds expected.

Still, it's kinda' pretty . . .

[Walleye]

1. I think we have a few of those around here in Delaware.

All of the pink blossoms that had come out last week have turned brown with the cold windy weather. Kind of a bummer

[Diamond_Dog]

2. Oh, they're pretty, all right

And so is your photograph, AndyS!

We have lots of them in Ohio, too, although they have not yet blossomed. And that’s fine with me because the blossoms smell like dirty sweat socks.

[Rebl2]

3. Pretty

but the smell is horrible. My neighbor had one and it lost limbs when it was really windy. It finally split down the middle when we had heavy snow one time.

[Botany]

4. It is all Callary Pears not just bradfords .... which I sold in the 1980s & 90s as being sterile now

2 Bradford Pears will not produce a viable seed but a Bradford and an Aristocrat Pear get crossed
then you will have viable seeds.

"...is suggesting a concerted effort to eradicate it." Good luck that genie is out of the bottle. We have
millions of them across OH.

BTW if you have one cut it down, treat the cross section with glyphosate (round up), spray any new sprouts,
and learn to recognize what the small new ones look like and cut them with a hoe.

[AndyS]

6. That's what the walk past forest looks like on my way to the park.

They're thick along the edges of woodland. Pretty but not a good match for home landscaping as they break apart easily. Other than that, and the whole invasive thing, they are an ideal plant for landscaping.

Like you said they were supposed to be sterile but . . .

[Botany]

9. That strip under the pears is an ecological dead zone

Pear trees, honeysuckle and or buckthorn, and non native cat tails. No use to our native pollinators, birds, and
other critters.

Given time and knowledge it can be restored.








We no longer should plant "landscapes" we need to make habitat.

[AndyS]

11. " we need to make habitat."

You have an Amen here brotha' (or sista').

[Botany]

12. Read Doug Tallamy's work

n/t

[Siwsan]

5. I had a huge one snap and fall during a wind storm

The wood has such a twisted grain, it's almost impossible to split. AND I'm constantly pulling up little 'volunteer' trees.

It's pretty for a short period of time, and a nuisance for the rest of the year. I'm hoping to get rid of the last two remaining in the back lot.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. Your photo is gorgeous but I hear ya about how fragile it is and how it spreads!

I don't think we have them here in California. I haven't seen any. We have our own junk trees!

[doc03]

8. How about the Cleveland Flowering Pear? nt

[Botany]

10. Same as the Bradford ... it is a Callary Pear.

n/t

[doc03]

13. I am keeping mine it is pretty and maintenance free. They are everywhere around

homes and commercial buildings. The deer eat the fruits I would think they would be everywhere in the woods
by now but I don't see any.

[Botany]

15. Callery pears are "a green cancer" to the supportive capicity of an environment's ecosystem

Drive around and see all those white flowering trees right now and those are most likely callery pear trees. The
seedlings are all over the place too.


https://extension.psu.edu/callery-pear#:~:text=Callery%20Pear%20Callery%20pear%20%28Pyrus%20calleryana%29%20is%20an,a%20management%20calendar%20and%20treatment%20and%20timing%20table.

[doc03]

16. I have been reading these trees are fragile. The tag from the Cleveland pear says they

Last edited Wed Mar 30, 2022, 12:20 AM - Edit history (1)

are hardy to -30 degrees are ice and wind damage resistant. This last winter we had an ice storm that destroyed many
trees especially pine but not one broken branch in the Cleveland Pear. I planted it in 2011 it was 6 1/2' I would guess it is now 25'



After reading more about them they say they usually don't produce much fruit. It has never produced much fruit until the last couple years. This year the tree was loaded with fruit. I have a neighbor that is a beekeeper, he has expanded his hives the last couple years. He has two rows of 4 or 5 boxes that has to be a hell of a lot bees. I figure it is getting pollinated much better now.

[Botany]

17. I really am an expert in this stuff. Callery Pears are proven to be bad for the environment/ecology

i understand if you don't have the money or time to replace your pear now but it really is a
worthwhile goal. Lots of wonderful native tree and or shrubs can be planted in its place*. If
you have the room you don't need to have the old stump ground out and just plant the new
stuff in a different spot.


* I can give you some suggestions if you let me know where you live.

American Fringe Tree w/a Tiger Swallow Tail Butterfly.

[doc03]

18. I am 74 it is pretty much a waste to plant a tree and be able to enjoy it

while I am still alive.

[Botany]

19. If done right all of us will never get to enjoy a tree's full worth ... they live for 150 + years

However we can enjoy the benefits of any native plant that we install right now.

Crab apples, American Dogwood, Redbud, Fringe Tree, Sour Wood, Black Haw Viburnum,
Winter Berry Holly, native magnolias and Smooth Sumac will all flower, have neat fruits,
fall color, and attract all kinds neat critters right off.

And if you don't want to plant any "woody plants" you can add a some native wildflowers
and grasses that are nice from the get go.

BTW you can plant small too ... the plants do better.

And if you want to leave your pear tree alone that is fine by me.

[alfredo]

14. Our townhouse association planted a bunch of them. Only two survived.

We had an ice storm that broke them down, in some cases to the stump.

I did get a good branch for a cane.

I’ve been planting a native milkweed to help the Monarch.