The white blooms are a welcome sign of spring until their smell hits your nose.
That offensive scent isnt the only thing bothersome about Bradford pear trees.
Heres why you should rethink Bradford pear trees and what to do about them.
Credit:Teeniemarie/Getty Images
Why Are Bradford Pear Trees Undesirable?
Theres a lot wrong with Bradford pears.
Sure, they havebeautiful white bloomsin early spring before their leaves emerge.
Credit: Steve Bender
But thats about all they have going for them.
Heres what makes them a problem.
Bradford carnage may not happen this year or next year, but it will happen.
Credit: Steve Bender
Short Lifespan
Because of their structural weakness, many Bradford pears only live 10 to 20 years.
A storm is bound to come through some time and cause damage.
Bradford pears often split and lose half of their trunk during one windy night or just from age.
Credit: Steve Bender
It may be hard for the tree to recover.
As the trees age, they are also more susceptible to pests and disease.
Typical pests includeaphids, borers, and scales.
Fire blight can cause blackened limbs and spread to crops like apples and pears.
Dense Shade
The dense branching producesheavy shade, which lawn grass cannot handle.
Bradford pears also choke out any other plants that give a shot to grow beneath them.
That’s because its flowers can’t pollinate themselves.
All Callery pears started carousing and cross-pollinating, forming fruit and viable seed.
Bradford pears are considered invasive throughout the Southeast and other parts of the United States.
They outcompetenative plantsthat provide food for wildlife, which harms the ecosystem.
Offensive Smell
Despite the pear in their name.
these trees smell far from the sweet-smelling fruit.
The smell does have a purpose: It attracts pollinators.
The small, hard fruits contain two to four seeds.
Once they dry and soften, birds eat them.
If Bradford pears cross-pollinate with other flowering pears, then viable seeds can form.
You might have to do this repeatedly until there is no more new growth.
NC State Extension.Pyrus calleryana.
Minnesota Department of Agriculture.Callery Pear.
NC State Extension.Callery Pear: ‘Bradford’ and Other Varieties and Their Invasive Progeny.
Missouri Invasive Plant Council.Success Story: MoIPs 2024 Callery Pear Buyback Program.
Kansas Research and Extension.Kansas, Missouri groups unite to offer replacements for invasive tree.
Virginia Department of Forestry.Callery Pear Exchange Program.
Penn State Extension.Feeding the Flower Flies: How to Attract Flies to Your Garden.
