Ohio is doing the same. We have outlawed pears this year, but the law does not force you to remove existing pears. You just can't buy, sell or replant pears. My town cut down every one of our street pears, and there were a lot of them. Streets look so naked now. Don't know what they'll replace them with.
Now that I have seen this video, I cannot unsee it. Just took a drive tonthe grocery store and all I recognize now are these trees. . .everywhere. You were not lying, Jim.
Jim: I'm glad you have posted this. Yesterday there was a lively discussion on Next Door following an Invasive Plant post by the State. Although there were a number of informed people there were also quite a few who thought it was shades of "fear mongering" and were pushing back. Any and all trusted voices will likely be needed to get the word out. Thank you.
Lol, I got that pushback when I started talking crap about Bradford pears. It's promising people they are a bad tree, and there are trees that are more beautiful, well behaved, and useful to humans and animals, that do so much better.
@@RealBradMillerwhen I talk to people like that about bradford pear's I bring up how the government promoted it back in the day and I spin the narrative as the "good for nothing gubberment bringing this evil (communist) tree from CHINA (communist[evil]) which is using its COMMUNISM POWERS to overpower our native ecosystems" and then I say "if you leave your communist trees on your property which was recommended by the gubberment back in the day youre SHEEPLE and actually drinking the coolaid allowing these trees to invade your land" It's all about spin baby. You can't use logic and reason with people who'se critical thinking skills are non existing so you gotta dumb things down and honestly... just lie to them like fox news and they'll eat up everything you hear.
Tell them, that Pear trees have taken over the state of Ohio. It is not fear mongering. We actually have pear forest up here. The pears are so vigorous that they out grow and force out our Oaks and Maples. Google Ohio ornamental pears.. We outlawed them this year. Ban them before it gets out of hand. We didn't expect this invasion either. It took 50 years for them to dominate the landscape.
I honestly think the people that act like they are so chill and not worried are the worst.. I watched a video about the invasive Asian jumping worms that have decimated my garden soil and are so gross they come to the soil surface and squirm around like foot long snakes writhing.. my perennials just fall over because the soil gets turned into coffee ground like crap that can’t hold any water.. and people online are like nah relax it’s just a worm they have been at my house for years and they are fine.. like no way they have the same worms I do because they have turned me into a garden box only gardener in a few years. I can’t stand digging in my garden in after July because they have by then gotten so big and numerous they chase me out of my garden. These invasive species/plants are no joke… we are not just over reacting and afraid.. these are real damn issues. It’s like reactionaries have taken climate change denial and applied the denial to invasive issues and are also gas lighting us about how not bad the issue is now too.
I have jumping worms too. My soil sounds the same as yours. I too, am forced to grow in above ground containers, which is difficult in a hot environment like mine. I've talked SO MUCH about them, yet, not only do people ignore the problem just as you described, I rarely see or hear anyone else talking about them! I'm not taking those nasty worms sitting down. (and yes, they ARE NASTY!!) Nor will I let them chase me out of my garden. With the live ones, I just scoop them up and let them die in a jar with a lid. And I REALLY HATE having to mess with them!! When it comes to creepy bugs, I'm a total girly-girl. Same for these worms! I refuse to touch them with my hands. Luckily, I have a hand shovel & it works just fine! In the jar they go. Then After they're dead, I burn the lot just to make sure the eggs inside them don't live on, because those frckn eggs WILL hatch later! I also invested in some ground mustard seed meal to help me remove this year's live ones. I mix it with water, and then pour it into the ground, and the wiggly buggers pop right up to the top, ready to be scooped & burned. It's a really disgusting practice. But really, it's the eggs that are the REAL problem... They are tightly contained in a silk cocoon which is impervious to everything - except direct fire! But you can't burn your soil & they're impossible to see bcuz the eggs look like soil!! You CAN spread a clear plastic sheet over top of your soil and in the Summer leave it there for 3 days to reach temperatures over 135°f. Supposedly, that kills the unhatched eggs. (And kills adults too. But only if they don't burrow down deeper.) And so, I did do that ! Except, my yard is covered with very large, very old, Oak trees. Which have a canopy that covers 95% of my yard. This only leaves 5% full sun area that I can cover with the plastic. And shady areas do not reach 135°, even in a super hot day. And besides, most of the worms are all in the shade areas that tree canopy provides anyway! So unless I can dig up my entire yard, and then bake that soil in the sun for 3 days, I'm going to need a different approach. And physically I just cannot dig up my entire yard. And worse yet, those eggs are timed released, with some scheduled to hatch many years from now. Unfortunately, the research on how long those eggs last in the soil is still under 5 years old. So we don't have a clue. Except there's the mycology perspective... And in my research I've seen there's one type of fungi that is supposed to help keep these worms in check. The research is still early days. I'm hoping introducing the fungi to my soil will help me rid this surge from my land. Otherwise, my soil is doomed, and so are the trees which have been living here longer than 200 years, and now these worms will probably end up slowly killing them... But snyway, the name of the fungi is Beauveria Bassiana. If you've not heard of it, I recommend checking it out. See what you think... When I first found out about this problem (in my entire yard) of jumping worms, I admit, I felt completely defeated. It's a BIG deal ! After wallowing in depression for quite a few months, I just woke up mad & determined. At first I tried to figure out how to get rid of the jumping worms and still keep the good earth worms in my soil. (Which btw - tutns out, regular earth worms are also an invasive species. It's just nobody minds bcuz those worms are helpful!) But then I realized there AREN'T ANY MORE regular earth worms in my soil!!! These awful jumping worms have either killed them, or driven them out! So there's no point in trying to save them. They're already gone. Right now, I'm in the mind of ALL WORMS MUST GO! If I can get regular earth worms back again someday, so be it. Funny... I came here to mention a different invasive species that I wish the nursery trade would outlaw! And that's Ligustrums. Ligustrums are doing the sane things the Bradford Pear is doing. But now I've written this big old comment on jumping worms instead!! Man... I just can't shut up when it comes to jumping worms!! I wish more people were concerned about them... Meanwhile, hang in there!!! Don't give up on getting rid of them!!! Death To The J.Worm!!!!
I bought 2 trees that were tagged as Dogwood trees. I did not know they were Bradford Pears, so 4 years ago I cut them both down myself. Then I dug up an area about 4 feet where the trunk had been. I used roundup on that area, which I normally never use but I was desperate. Then, I would boil water at least once a week and poured it over the whole area. Sometimes I would mix white vinegar with the boiled water. Finally, this year, SO FAR, no signs of suckers. I will keep my fingers crossed. Thanks, Jim, for giving a very informed reason why this tree is so bad.
They were Bradford Pears as they were planted for 4 years, and the smell of the blooms were like rotten fish. When I became a more knowledgeable gardener, I knew I had to get rid of them, especially when they started splitting.
I'm in Arkansas, and those things are absolutely everywhere. The nurseries continue to sell bradford/cleveland pear trees too, and people are still buying them.
Your perspective of standing in an empty lot, early spring is perfect…it lets everyone better understand just how many have reseeded and taken over. A couple years ago when I lived in the Chicago suburbs, I used to say the same thing…”drive by any empty lot or overgrown area in early spring or late fall, and you will see all the invasive pear trees.” From my observations, in addition to great fall color, the pear trees also hold onto their leaves much longer than most deciduous trees helping them standout in those empty lots in late fall/early winter much like in early spring.
We see acres and acres of Bradford pear trees here in north central Alabama in the spring. It’s a beautiful sight, but thank you for a better understanding of how destructive they are.
We had 3 very large ones removed. They were always dropping limbs. We had the stumps ground but they didn’t get it all. So we went back and drilled into the large roots that were left behind and then applied the brush on stump killer, I forgot what it was called. That really helped a lot with the suckers. I had to keep on top of it for awhile and repeat in spots. Unfortunately my neighbor have 3 large ones and he did not remove his. The smell of fish is in the air.
Yes, the word is out: our community dug out five and exchanged them for natives through a local program. Thanks for spreading the word- so very important.
zone 8b suburb of Dallas TX. We purchased 2 1/2 acres in 2021 and immediately had to have 21 large trees taken out including having the stumps grinded, because they were dead and Bradford pears (at the time we didn’t know they were Bradford pears) and invasive mimosas near the house. It was a massive expense. We had 6 more trees removed and stumps grinded in 2022 and also last year in 2023. Now we only have 5 remaining large Bradford pears on property and including one that’s not as big near the house that’s an absolute menace in wind and storms and is the first one on our list this year. It makes me want to cry about the cost we’ve spent so far, and the remaining cost to come. BUT know that all the remaining Bradfords will eventually meet their end on our property. No doubt the spring bloom show is beautiful though.
I’ve shared this with my Landscape Committee and the President of our neighborhood Board of Directors. Changes at the State level will be more time consuming, but making a difference in our own neighborhoods may begin today. 🌸🐝
Here's one tactic. My neighbor is a woodworker. He collects the Bradford pear shoots, dries them, stains and paints them, and makes them into magic wands, Harry Potter style. Every one is unique. Then he sells them at Renaissance fairs here in Maryland. They're inexpensive and very popular with kids and adults. Won't solve the whole invasive plant problem, but it's one creative step in that direction.
They are in Georgia as well. Last year I asked my wife what is that flowering tree that's taken over that pasture? Well, turns out its the Bradford Pear. It has gone from one or two till now it's taken over 110 acres or more.
Here in the St. Louis area these trees are just as invasive as Asian honeysuckle if not worse! Both have to be completely removed including the roots or cut back and the stump treated so that the tree does regrow.
I have a farm in Virginia that’s about 1/2 pasture and 1/2 wooded. My life is consumed by removing invasive species. Bittersweet, Autumn Olive, Multifloral rose, Bradford Pear, Alanthis, Wineberry, Stiltgrass, Honeysuckle, Johnson grass, Nodding thistle, the list goes on and on. They all have room to grow now that every single ash tree on the property has been killed by the invasive emerald ash borer. And last year, for the first time, spotted lantern fly showed up on the property in some numbers. And when I go to the nursery, it’s just row upon row of more and more exotic species, all of which has the potential to become the next Bradford pear. It’s all very disheartening, but a little better every year on my little corner of the world. But my goodness is it a lot of work!
Could not be happier that you chose to focus on this, or any, invasive. Your influence matters. Ohio, where I live, has finally made it illegal to sell this tree. Thanks!!
Thank you very much for bringing this up. I'm in something of a battle with invasive plants right now - from privet to bamboo, creeping charlie to bradford pear. It's incredibly frustrating, especially considering how much money I've had to spend on just strong herbicides! My time is valuable. The money spent removing the invasives from the property is money I could have spent working on the house to get it ready to sell. And worse, none of this stuff is stuff that I've bought and brought in myself. Instead, like you note, it just shows up one day and then it's a struggle to fix it. People don't understand just how big an issue this is. Dr. Doug Tallamy has done a lot of good videos here on TH-cam talking about the "food desert" you mentions. He calls it "Fragmentation" and I think that's an excellent way of visualizing the situation. As a former member of the Horticulture Industry, I'm really embarrassed at how bad a job we've done in not only educating ourselves, but our customers. When I was in school and learning all about the green business, there was no mention of native plants or the damage that fragmenting our ecosystem with non-natives would cause. Nobody cared. It was all about making the sales, getting that cash in so we could grow more for next spring. And the result is that we can now look forward to dealing with Bradford Pears, English Ivy, Tropical Milkweed, Ash Die-Back, Chestnut Blight, Russian Olive, Japanese Honeysuckle, and a thousand other invasive plants. Dr. Tallamy figured that 80% of the yards and business landscaping is non-native and/or invasive plants. And when you look at that from a distance, it means that we've actually done worse by our own land than all the burning of the Amazon Rainforest that people complain about. The difference is that the Amazon is charred and smoking. People can see that and immediately understand that it's probably not a good thing. However, when they look out their kitchen window.... they see lovely green plants growing and it just never registers in their mind that they might as well have simply torched the place for all the good it's doing for the ecosystem. I remember growing up and having to scrape the windshield of the car every time we stopped for gas. I thought the new cars were simply more aerodynamic and the flow of air was guiding the insects up and over the car, explaining why I no longer had to scrape bug "tar" off the glass. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Rather, it's because we've removed so much of the native plant life, fragmenting what remains, that now the insects don't have the food and shelter they need in order to complete their life cycle. And no insects means no food for the songbirds. Since the 1970's, we've lost 30,000,000,000 songbirds due to these "food deserts" we've created. No insects means no food for baby birds. Simple as that. It's good to see this getting more attention. I was just counting bradford pears on the way into town yesterday, and it's frightening to see just how much of the landscaping around here uses them. It's really sad when you think of all the great Native Trees that we could have used instead. Worse, imo, is that it kills the "Sense of Place" that makes our area so special. Now, you can travel all across the country and see people using the exact same plants, in the exact same way, and it really destroys the feeling of being somewhere unique in the world. Our landscaping really should be at least 80% native. Not only is this good for the ecosystem, but it's good for us in ways that we really can't easily put to words. And the horticulture industry really needs to do better on their end. None of this would be happening if they, as the professionals, were being responsible. I know that might sound mean, but as a former member of the community, I think it's important to say.
Herbicides and pesticides are what's causing the demise of pollinators and birds, poisoning the entire food chain including our water and agriculture - far more damage than non - natives here!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, for this video. I know many people don't give a rip about trees and what is invasive or not. This is startling. Everyone needs to see this! Thank you!
I live in Northwest Indiana and I have one in my backyard for 20 years. I have never heard of this tree being invasive. I will be taking it down. Thank you Jim
I had dozens of these pears cut down from my property when I moved in….seedlings from the Bradford pears lining the driveway of my neighbor two houses down. Years later I’m still battling sprouting on a few of the stumps. Horrid plants. The thorns are wicked and the flowers do absolutely reek! I learned these were “trash trees” 20 years ago as a Horticulture student. I live in SC where I’ve seen fallow fields turned to callery pear forests so I’m glad to hear there’s finally a ban.
Bradford Pears are everywhere here in Indiana. I live right on the border of Indiana literally next door to Ohio and Kentucky. They are all over there too. My house has one that was planted years ago by my husband’s grandmother. It is a pollinator haven. The tree literally buzzes with swarms of bees and pollinators. Funny enough, it split a few years ago in an ice storm. Half of it is gone, but the rest is being cut down when my in-laws can get to it. I want it gone more than ever now.
Thank you for highlighting this! It's disheartening to see how bad the problem is in a lot of local woodlands. Hoping that we can continue to educate people and get the sale of this invasive species banned and show people the benefits of replacing with local natives that are better for wildlife. I also only recently learned about the thorn problem as well.
We had one in our TX yard 20+ years ago, we also had 2 large dogs. After pre-mowing poop patrol I still smelled poop and couldn’t find any more piles. Yep, it was the tree. We cut it down.
Agreed. I'm well North of you in suburban NY. These have been showing up along woodland edges and highway margins more and more. They probably don't seed as readily here, but unless the deer decide they are tasty it appears they will continue to spread. Maybe the spotted lantern flies will help slow them down. It is a tangled web we weave
The only thing that will kill them is the bacterial disease, Fire Blight. Even herbicide is not certain and I don't think anything eats them. I haven't even seen any caterpillars on them.
It was our first tree planted in our new home 30 years ago. It didn't live very long because the area in our front yard where we planted it was the contractors mixing spot, apparently. I liked the blooms but never smelled them, but they also had dark purple berries that stained your shoes if stepped on them. We planted in the middle of our front yard, but if there was concrete around, I'm sure they would stain it. I had no idea they got thorns. I guess it was a good thing that it didn't last too long. Didn't know they were evasive, either.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This is one of the most comprehensive explanations, with real world examples, of why everyone needs to remove these trees.
They really do pop out of nowhere in early spring! When we lived in Norman, OK, the city required two trees in our front yard. One of our options was Cleveland Pear. Thanks for spreading the word!
With this having been considered sterile when it was released, should we be suspicious of new hybrids of currently invasive things that are also considered sterile right now? Nandina is the first example that pops into my mind.
Yes. Always. Remember, plants are never listed as "invasive" until it's far too late. At first, they were the talk of the town, the belle of the ball, and the whole industry waxed poetic over their virtues. As Jim notes, the first BP brought in was thought safe, but nobody thought about what might happen with it when years later they brought in another type of decorative Pear. Chestnut Blight, Dutch Elm Disease, Ash Die Back.... maybe those are honest accidents, but consider how huge an impact they've had on our ecosystem. Our lans are overrun with Nuisance and Invasive plants like bamboo, privet, holly, honeysuckle and a thousand others, and all of them were thought perfectly fine at the time they were introduced by gardeners of one stripe or another. So if someone tells you that it's "sterile", be careful. And opt for the Native plant that features you are looking for. 99% of the time, there's a native plant that's very similar in shape, color, bloom time, etc. At least that way you know you're not contributing to some future problem.
@@LULC0759 Depends on what it is about the nandina that you really like. Is it the fact that it's evergreen? The berries? Jim just did a video the other day where he talked about the Viburnum obovatum "Raulston Hardy", which I think would be a good substitute since it's evergreen and has both nice flowers in the spring and berries for the birds. A dwarf variety of Ilex vomitoria might also do well, but that requires both the male and female plants to get red barries. The Yaupon holly makes a great native substitute for the boxwoods since it can be trimmed to a formal hedge. I guess it really comes down to thinking about what you like about the nandina and then looking for a native that best matches that feature.
@@SandraSElam I guess that's like the Bradford pear Jim talks about in the beginning of the vid. I have some kind of Nandina in the yard, and it's everywhere. Always popping up from seed, and I know I'm not the only one. It might be classified as a Nuisance plant rather than Invasive, but either way it's hard to get rid of once it's established in the seed bank.
It's truly a problem. There is farmland where wheat once grew, it's so thick with these trees that you can not even walk through. Now nothing else grows there here in Southern NJ.
I had a bird- deposited callery pear come up in my yard, and man, those thorns were vicious! That one small tree took all day because I had to be super careful, so I can imagine without heavy equipment and some sort of plant poison, a stand like that would be hard to control. I feel like I do see more and more every spring - it would probably take the hard work and dedication of whole communities to get it under control and I still see Bradford Pears in landscapes all over Wake County, so the problem just goes on and on...
Quickest way to get rid of the Bradford Pear or any other invasive plant is to find a good use for it. Many years ago we had to drive 20 miles to find a eastern red cedar because they used them for fence post. Now that fences are built with steel post the cedars are thicker than hair.
When I was viewing my house in March 2020, I saw a neighbors teee in bloom and it was beautiful. Didn’t know what it was and didn’t understand why my realtor thought it was a bad tree! Fast forward 2024, they still have this tree. I guess it’s not common knowledge about this plant and they seem to like it cause they have kept it.
I watched a group of these spread down the highway and I believe it was Fedex or the city finally paid to have them all removed. The first year they were all chopped down but they just grew back and spread even farther down the road. The second year I believe they chopped them down and then hosed the whole area down with herbicide and that seems to have controlled them. It's just a shame that had to happen because you can follow the invasion all the way back down the road the back of a parking lot of a grocery store where the initial trees planted have started falling apart in all directions and look awful. Some of those have been removed for looking terrible.
It’s sad but I’m glad you made this video. It’s important that people realize what those are. I’ve got one directly behind my house, every house in the row has one too. it’s technically in the utility channel so I can’t do anything about it. I even offered the city to pay for it myself and plant another tree but they said “no we have no plans for it.” The weird thing is they’re starting to spread and the utilities can no longer get into the channel. We have buried lines so if they ever have to work on them it’s gonna be horrendous. The spread comes closer and closer to the property line every year and I cut the sports because it’s dangerous for my son. He’s grabbed one of those thorns when he was smaller. I just don’t understand why the city still plants them to this day. They put them everywhere as if they have no clue how invasive they are.
I have seen these thorny trees in our local parks. I wondered why so many,now I know. I will share and be proactive about tagging and or removing as I am able/ permitted.
They’re everywhere here in Upstate SC, actually I have one in my backyard that the builder left with giant pines, the thorns are nasty. I’m planning to take it down but my yard is crowded with other trees, so we’ll see…
I thought I knew this subject, but this video is deeply informative-and scares my pants off! Here in SW VA, I see thickets like that developing along the highways. This was the case around Columbus, Ohio, when we lived there too.
Hello Jim! 👋 Unknowingly, I took mine out of my garden. They are pretty and I liked them but one came down with the wind so out they all went. I should add that I’ve added reasonable trees to my small yard.
Over the years I've seen my small town and rural area be overtaken by this horrible tree. I'm in south central Missouri. At least the southern half of this state is overwhelmed. Nation wide steps need to be taken to get some kind of control but politicians are too slow to act.
I agree that the over-proliferation of Bradford Pears is a problem in central North Carolina. A shopping center near my neighborhood has 2 rows of them. The pear seeds have invaded an adjacent vacant lot, causing a thicket of Bradford Pear seedlings when the field is not mowed frequently enough. I wish that NC would ban these trees.
Chinese privet is definitely worse down here on the Gulf Coast, at least in our neck of the woods. At least it doesn't have four-inch thorns though lol
I was just talking with someone about this last week where i live in Tennessee. I didn't know about the Cleveland pear. This video was very informative!
In my neck of the woods (Southwest GA) it's Oak Trees. Staring across at the street at my neighbors yards and there's literally 3 per yard and the second and third one grew from a sprig. For those unwilling to "decorate" beneath it, it makes for a horrid site of bare ground and a ton of leaves.
I had mine cut down and stump ground out 2 years ago. It grew back from the roots and now i have at least 40 of them trying to grow. I have to go out and cut or pull thrm out every few weeks. I have one more and I'm scared to have it removed. One is better than 40?!?
I live in a small town in So. Missouri on the Arkansas border. As I drive to town it is a sea of the horrible trees they’ve taken over the woods. It’s depressing. Missouri has a replacement program but there’s so many I don’t know where you would start.sad
When that tree first came out I intended to plant a row of them along my fence. So thankful I didn’t plant any. I see them everywhere when I’m driving & had no idea they were so invasive 0:15
A couple of plants that I think are on par with the invasive pear are the Japanese bush honeysuckle and creeping euonymus aka Wintercreeper. The latter two are incredibly invasive here in central KY in general and, in particular, in my neighborhood. I spend an inordinate amount of time removing them from my yard which is a losing battle because none of my neighbors do likewise. Just today, I traveled across the county and commented to my companion that the pears were just days away from bursting into bloom in nearly every open space and fencerow we passed. IMO, you were a little too kind when describing the smell of the flowers; they smell like carrion to me!
With an axe, wood chipper, mattock and shovel I can clear those Bradford pears from coming back. I've had to dig out privets here in Northern CA would continually respeout from stumps. When i take a tree or shrub out I dont rely on stump grinding to completely kill it. I dig up the entire stump and surrounding roots so it never comes back.
Thanks for this! In my city just outside Boston, there are lots of Callery Pears, as the city labels them. There is one right in front of our house. I have watched in the spring as people walk by and admire the flowers while wrinkling their noses at the snell, which they seem to think is coming from my garden. In the fall, the pears splat onto my car. In recent years they have not flowered, giving me hope they will just die off.
When seasoned, the fine-grained wood is very plain, with no figure or color. It turns well on a lathe, and can be used to make recorders, flutes, and other musical instruments. It also makes good firewood.
Thx for the advice. I have a few on my property. I am looking at tall one through my window with white flowers as I am typing this. Mine are growing next to pine trees.
As mentioned below, We are terribly overrun with them in Northern Arkansas, too, but I'm not prepared to say it's worse than kudzu. As bad, maybe, but not worse. You can eventually dig these thugs out, but there is no getting rid of kudzu. It's in the process of swallowing 3 houses and a dairy barn about a mile from here, and I'm terrified of it making it to our place.
I was just talking about this, this morning as I have 6 of them on my back berm. I was thinking of leaving one up but not any longer. Mine are about 12 feet tall. I will be taking them out in the fall. Is there a better time of the year to remove them? Unfortunately, my neighbor has the massive, full grown BP's all along her driveway. I wonder if SC will make her cut them down. How are they planning to enforce the ban?
We are in Northwest Alabama, and those trees are everywhere. There is a whole field of them across the road behind my house, in full stinky bloom right now. 😢
The wild pear trees are invading fields in Virginia too. Before I knew better, I planted a row of Aristocrat flowering pear trees in my old garden in the 1990s. They were marketed as better than the Bradford pear, being more resistant to storm damage. They were beautiful, but even they did break in storms. So I've never planted any more - thankfully.
We have a Cleveland, and unfortunately it’s in great shape. We were so excited to buy a property from an avid gardener, only to find that more than half of the well-established plants are invasive species on our state’s official no-fly list 🤦🏻♀️ I’m slowly taking them out and replacing with natives and other non-invasive alternatives, but it’s hard to convince my husband to pull out perfectly healthy plants, So I expect it’s going to take years.
I live in Wilmington, NC. As I drive up I-40 to Raleigh, I see these pear trees planted at exits 390, 385, and 384. The trees line the entrance and exit ramps, and in spring and fall are beautiful. The gaps in the lines of trees indicate where one has died. I would never plant one of these trees in my yard.
A friend and I were just talking about this today. It's astonishing there isn't an effort, especially here in NC, to contract arborists to clear them out as much as possible.
Thanks for the information. I live in CA but I have family who live in Bristol TN. I’ve heard about the Bradford pear that had been planted all along Main Street, how much it stunk😮 and how the branches fell off, but never understood the other issues you have detailed here.
Thank you Jim! Someone told me once that these trees were not good but they didn’t say anything about the invasive nature, then again this may have been before they started taking over! It’s a shame because I think it’s the one of very few trees in a Houston that gives off fall color. I’ve been passing one at a neighbor’s house which actually looks like it could be on its last legs, here’s to hoping!
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NC State has a Bradford Pear Bounty program that will provide natives for pics of before and after of the removal of 5 of them
Ohio is doing the same. We have outlawed pears this year, but the law does not force you to remove existing pears. You just can't buy, sell or replant pears. My town cut down every one of our street pears, and there were a lot of them. Streets look so naked now. Don't know what they'll replace them with.
Not for all counties... varies county/city to city whether the city/county is participating or not
Now that I have seen this video, I cannot unsee it. Just took a drive tonthe grocery store and all I recognize now are these trees. . .everywhere. You were not lying, Jim.
Jim: I'm glad you have posted this. Yesterday there was a lively discussion on Next Door following an Invasive Plant post by the State. Although there were a number of informed people there were also quite a few who thought it was shades of "fear mongering" and were pushing back. Any and all trusted voices will likely be needed to get the word out. Thank you.
Lol, I got that pushback when I started talking crap about Bradford pears. It's promising people they are a bad tree, and there are trees that are more beautiful, well behaved, and useful to humans and animals, that do so much better.
@@RealBradMillerwhen I talk to people like that about bradford pear's I bring up how the government promoted it back in the day and I spin the narrative as the "good for nothing gubberment bringing this evil (communist) tree from CHINA (communist[evil]) which is using its COMMUNISM POWERS to overpower our native ecosystems" and then I say "if you leave your communist trees on your property which was recommended by the gubberment back in the day youre SHEEPLE and actually drinking the coolaid allowing these trees to invade your land"
It's all about spin baby. You can't use logic and reason with people who'se critical thinking skills are non existing so you gotta dumb things down and honestly... just lie to them like fox news and they'll eat up everything you hear.
Tell them, that Pear trees have taken over the state of Ohio. It is not fear mongering. We actually have pear forest up here. The pears are so vigorous that they out grow and force out our Oaks and Maples. Google Ohio ornamental pears.. We outlawed them this year. Ban them before it gets out of hand. We didn't expect this invasion either. It took 50 years for them to dominate the landscape.
I honestly think the people that act like they are so chill and not worried are the worst.. I watched a video about the invasive Asian jumping worms that have decimated my garden soil and are so gross they come to the soil surface and squirm around like foot long snakes writhing.. my perennials just fall over because the soil gets turned into coffee ground like crap that can’t hold any water.. and people online are like nah relax it’s just a worm they have been at my house for years and they are fine.. like no way they have the same worms I do because they have turned me into a garden box only gardener in a few years. I can’t stand digging in my garden in after July because they have by then gotten so big and numerous they chase me out of my garden. These invasive species/plants are no joke… we are not just over reacting and afraid.. these are real damn issues. It’s like reactionaries have taken climate change denial and applied the denial to invasive issues and are also gas lighting us about how not bad the issue is now too.
I have jumping worms too.
My soil sounds the same as yours.
I too, am forced to grow in above ground containers, which is difficult in a hot environment like mine.
I've talked SO MUCH about them, yet, not only do people ignore the problem just as you described, I rarely see or hear anyone else talking about them!
I'm not taking those nasty worms sitting down.
(and yes, they ARE NASTY!!)
Nor will I let them chase me out of my garden.
With the live ones, I just scoop them up and let them die in a jar with a lid. And I REALLY HATE having to mess with them!!
When it comes to creepy bugs, I'm a total girly-girl.
Same for these worms!
I refuse to touch them with my hands.
Luckily, I have a hand shovel & it works just fine!
In the jar they go.
Then After they're dead, I burn the lot just to make sure the eggs inside them don't live on, because those frckn eggs WILL hatch later!
I also invested in some ground mustard seed meal to help me remove this year's live ones.
I mix it with water, and then pour it into the ground, and the wiggly buggers pop right up to the top, ready to be scooped & burned.
It's a really disgusting practice.
But really, it's the eggs that are the REAL problem...
They are tightly contained in a silk cocoon which is impervious to everything - except direct fire!
But you can't burn your soil & they're impossible to see bcuz the eggs look like soil!!
You CAN spread a clear plastic sheet over top of your soil and in the Summer leave it there for 3 days to reach temperatures over 135°f.
Supposedly, that kills the unhatched eggs.
(And kills adults too. But only if they don't burrow down deeper.)
And so, I did do that !
Except, my yard is covered with very large, very old, Oak trees.
Which have a canopy that covers 95% of my yard.
This only leaves 5% full sun area that I can cover with the plastic.
And shady areas do not reach 135°, even in a super hot day.
And besides, most of the worms are all in the shade areas that tree canopy provides anyway!
So unless I can dig up my entire yard, and then bake that soil in the sun for 3 days, I'm going to need a different approach.
And physically I just cannot dig up my entire yard.
And worse yet, those eggs are timed released, with some scheduled to hatch many years from now.
Unfortunately, the research on how long those eggs last in the soil is still under 5 years old.
So we don't have a clue.
Except there's the mycology perspective...
And in my research I've seen there's one type of fungi that is supposed to help keep these worms in check.
The research is still early days.
I'm hoping introducing the fungi to my soil will help me rid this surge from my land.
Otherwise, my soil is doomed, and so are the trees which have been living here longer than 200 years, and now these worms will probably end up slowly killing them...
But snyway, the name of the fungi is Beauveria Bassiana.
If you've not heard of it, I recommend checking it out.
See what you think...
When I first found out about this problem (in my entire yard) of jumping worms, I admit, I felt completely defeated.
It's a BIG deal !
After wallowing in depression for quite a few months, I just woke up mad & determined.
At first I tried to figure out how to get rid of the jumping worms and still keep the good earth worms in my soil.
(Which btw - tutns out, regular earth worms are also an invasive species. It's just nobody minds bcuz those worms are helpful!)
But then I realized there
AREN'T ANY MORE
regular earth worms in my soil!!!
These awful jumping worms have either killed them, or driven them out!
So there's no point in trying to save them. They're already gone.
Right now, I'm in the mind of
ALL WORMS MUST GO!
If I can get regular earth worms back again someday, so be it.
Funny...
I came here to mention a different invasive species that I wish the nursery trade would outlaw!
And that's Ligustrums.
Ligustrums are doing the sane things the Bradford Pear is doing.
But now I've written this big old comment on jumping worms instead!!
Man...
I just can't shut up when it comes to jumping worms!!
I wish more people were concerned about them...
Meanwhile, hang in there!!!
Don't give up on getting rid of them!!!
Death To The J.Worm!!!!
I bought 2 trees that were tagged as Dogwood trees. I did not know they were Bradford Pears, so 4 years ago I cut them both down myself. Then I dug up an area about 4 feet where the trunk had been. I used roundup on that area, which I normally never use but I was desperate. Then, I would boil water at least once a week and poured it over the whole area. Sometimes I would mix white vinegar with the boiled water. Finally, this year, SO FAR, no signs of suckers. I will keep my fingers crossed. Thanks, Jim, for giving a very informed reason why this tree is so bad.
Ugh, hate places that mis-tag things!
Are you sure they weren't actually dogwoods? Dogwoods, especially the Chinese dogwoods look very similar but flower later in the spring.
They were Bradford Pears as they were planted for 4 years, and the smell of the blooms were like rotten fish. When I became a more knowledgeable gardener, I knew I had to get rid of them, especially when they started splitting.
Good decision. I know it's hard to remove established plants but you did the right thing.@@jeanniecollier6763
I'm in Arkansas, and those things are absolutely everywhere. The nurseries continue to sell bradford/cleveland pear trees too, and people are still buying them.
Your perspective of standing in an empty lot, early spring is perfect…it lets everyone better understand just how many have reseeded and taken over. A couple years ago when I lived in the Chicago suburbs, I used to say the same thing…”drive by any empty lot or overgrown area in early spring or late fall, and you will see all the invasive pear trees.” From my observations, in addition to great fall color, the pear trees also hold onto their leaves much longer than most deciduous trees helping them standout in those empty lots in late fall/early winter much like in early spring.
We are having massive problems with autumn olive in michigan
We see acres and acres of Bradford pear trees here in north central Alabama in the spring. It’s a beautiful sight, but thank you for a better understanding of how destructive they are.
We had 3 very large ones removed. They were always dropping limbs. We had the stumps ground but they didn’t get it all. So we went back and drilled into the large roots that were left behind and then applied the brush on stump killer, I forgot what it was called. That really helped a lot with the suckers. I had to keep on top of it for awhile and repeat in spots. Unfortunately my neighbor have 3 large ones and he did not remove his. The smell of fish is in the air.
Yes, the word is out: our community dug out five and exchanged them for natives through a local program. Thanks for spreading the word- so very important.
zone 8b suburb of Dallas TX. We purchased 2 1/2 acres in 2021 and immediately had to have 21 large trees taken out including having the stumps grinded, because they were dead and Bradford pears (at the time we didn’t know they were Bradford pears) and invasive mimosas near the house. It was a massive expense. We had 6 more trees removed and stumps grinded in 2022 and also last year in 2023. Now we only have 5 remaining large Bradford pears on property and including one that’s not as big near the house that’s an absolute menace in wind and storms and is the first one on our list this year. It makes me want to cry about the cost we’ve spent so far, and the remaining cost to come. BUT know that all the remaining Bradfords will eventually meet their end on our property. No doubt the spring bloom show is beautiful though.
I’ve shared this with my Landscape Committee and the President of our neighborhood Board of Directors. Changes at the State level will be more time consuming, but making a difference in our own neighborhoods may begin today. 🌸🐝
Jim thanks so much for this video. I hope all states realize how big a problem this is. Here in Kentucky the Bradford pears are everywhere.
Here's one tactic. My neighbor is a woodworker. He collects the Bradford pear shoots, dries them, stains and paints them, and makes them into magic wands, Harry Potter style. Every one is unique. Then he sells them at Renaissance fairs here in Maryland. They're inexpensive and very popular with kids and adults. Won't solve the whole invasive plant problem, but it's one creative step in that direction.
That's a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
There are not enough wizards, are there?
Yes, I live in southern Ohio and going to my kids in northern Kentucky, they live just south of Cincinnati,those trees are everywhere, really thick!
They are in Georgia as well. Last year I asked my wife what is that flowering tree that's taken over that pasture? Well, turns out its the Bradford Pear. It has gone from one or two till now it's taken over 110 acres or more.
Here in the St. Louis area these trees are just as invasive as Asian honeysuckle if not worse! Both have to be completely removed including the roots or cut back and the stump treated so that the tree does regrow.
I have a farm in Virginia that’s about 1/2 pasture and 1/2 wooded. My life is consumed by removing invasive species. Bittersweet, Autumn Olive, Multifloral rose, Bradford Pear, Alanthis, Wineberry, Stiltgrass, Honeysuckle, Johnson grass, Nodding thistle, the list goes on and on. They all have room to grow now that every single ash tree on the property has been killed by the invasive emerald ash borer. And last year, for the first time, spotted lantern fly showed up on the property in some numbers. And when I go to the nursery, it’s just row upon row of more and more exotic species, all of which has the potential to become the next Bradford pear. It’s all very disheartening, but a little better every year on my little corner of the world. But my goodness is it a lot of work!
Could not be happier that you chose to focus on this, or any, invasive. Your influence matters. Ohio, where I live, has finally made it illegal to sell this tree. Thanks!!
Great video. Same problem here where I live in Georgia.
Thank you very much for bringing this up. I'm in something of a battle with invasive plants right now - from privet to bamboo, creeping charlie to bradford pear. It's incredibly frustrating, especially considering how much money I've had to spend on just strong herbicides! My time is valuable. The money spent removing the invasives from the property is money I could have spent working on the house to get it ready to sell. And worse, none of this stuff is stuff that I've bought and brought in myself. Instead, like you note, it just shows up one day and then it's a struggle to fix it.
People don't understand just how big an issue this is. Dr. Doug Tallamy has done a lot of good videos here on TH-cam talking about the "food desert" you mentions. He calls it "Fragmentation" and I think that's an excellent way of visualizing the situation.
As a former member of the Horticulture Industry, I'm really embarrassed at how bad a job we've done in not only educating ourselves, but our customers. When I was in school and learning all about the green business, there was no mention of native plants or the damage that fragmenting our ecosystem with non-natives would cause. Nobody cared. It was all about making the sales, getting that cash in so we could grow more for next spring.
And the result is that we can now look forward to dealing with Bradford Pears, English Ivy, Tropical Milkweed, Ash Die-Back, Chestnut Blight, Russian Olive, Japanese Honeysuckle, and a thousand other invasive plants.
Dr. Tallamy figured that 80% of the yards and business landscaping is non-native and/or invasive plants. And when you look at that from a distance, it means that we've actually done worse by our own land than all the burning of the Amazon Rainforest that people complain about. The difference is that the Amazon is charred and smoking. People can see that and immediately understand that it's probably not a good thing. However, when they look out their kitchen window.... they see lovely green plants growing and it just never registers in their mind that they might as well have simply torched the place for all the good it's doing for the ecosystem.
I remember growing up and having to scrape the windshield of the car every time we stopped for gas. I thought the new cars were simply more aerodynamic and the flow of air was guiding the insects up and over the car, explaining why I no longer had to scrape bug "tar" off the glass. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Rather, it's because we've removed so much of the native plant life, fragmenting what remains, that now the insects don't have the food and shelter they need in order to complete their life cycle. And no insects means no food for the songbirds.
Since the 1970's, we've lost 30,000,000,000 songbirds due to these "food deserts" we've created. No insects means no food for baby birds. Simple as that.
It's good to see this getting more attention. I was just counting bradford pears on the way into town yesterday, and it's frightening to see just how much of the landscaping around here uses them. It's really sad when you think of all the great Native Trees that we could have used instead.
Worse, imo, is that it kills the "Sense of Place" that makes our area so special. Now, you can travel all across the country and see people using the exact same plants, in the exact same way, and it really destroys the feeling of being somewhere unique in the world. Our landscaping really should be at least 80% native. Not only is this good for the ecosystem, but it's good for us in ways that we really can't easily put to words.
And the horticulture industry really needs to do better on their end. None of this would be happening if they, as the professionals, were being responsible. I know that might sound mean, but as a former member of the community, I think it's important to say.
Herbicides and pesticides are what's causing the demise of pollinators and birds, poisoning the entire food chain including our water and agriculture - far more damage than non - natives here!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, for this video. I know many people don't give a rip about trees and what is invasive or not. This is startling. Everyone needs to see this! Thank you!
I live in Northwest Indiana and I have one in my backyard for 20 years. I have never heard of this tree being invasive. I will be taking it down. Thank you Jim
I had dozens of these pears cut down from my property when I moved in….seedlings from the Bradford pears lining the driveway of my neighbor two houses down. Years later I’m still battling sprouting on a few of the stumps. Horrid plants. The thorns are wicked and the flowers do absolutely reek! I learned these were “trash trees” 20 years ago as a Horticulture student. I live in SC where I’ve seen fallow fields turned to callery pear forests so I’m glad to hear there’s finally a ban.
Bradford Pears are everywhere here in Indiana. I live right on the border of Indiana literally next door to Ohio and Kentucky. They are all over there too. My house has one that was planted years ago by my husband’s grandmother. It is a pollinator haven. The tree literally buzzes with swarms of bees and pollinators. Funny enough, it split a few years ago in an ice storm. Half of it is gone, but the rest is being cut down when my in-laws can get to it. I want it gone more than ever now.
Excellent followup on a interesting tree.. much appreciated...
Thank you for highlighting this! It's disheartening to see how bad the problem is in a lot of local woodlands. Hoping that we can continue to educate people and get the sale of this invasive species banned and show people the benefits of replacing with local natives that are better for wildlife. I also only recently learned about the thorn problem as well.
Great information. So glad my neighbor removed all their Bradford Pears about 10 years ago.
Amur Honeysuckle and Bradford pears are quite a combo in the Midwest. It's hard to keep up with it all.
These trees are all over parks in Kansas, scary.
We had one in our TX yard 20+ years ago, we also had 2 large dogs. After pre-mowing poop patrol I still smelled poop and couldn’t find any more piles. Yep, it was the tree. We cut it down.
Quite a few around me. Usually just one or two in a yard. We have a lot more Chinese wysteria growing along the roads killing trees.
Agreed. I'm well North of you in suburban NY. These have been showing up along woodland edges and highway margins more and more.
They probably don't seed as readily here, but unless the deer decide they are tasty it appears they will continue to spread.
Maybe the spotted lantern flies will help slow them down.
It is a tangled web we weave
The only thing that will kill them is the bacterial disease, Fire Blight. Even herbicide is not certain and I don't think anything eats them. I haven't even seen any caterpillars on them.
It was our first tree planted in our new home 30 years ago. It didn't live very long because the area in our front yard where we planted it was the contractors mixing spot, apparently. I liked the blooms but never smelled them, but they also had dark purple berries that stained your shoes if stepped on them. We planted in the middle of our front yard, but if there was concrete around, I'm sure they would stain it. I had no idea they got thorns. I guess it was a good thing that it didn't last too long. Didn't know they were evasive, either.
Thanks for this post, Jim. It is so needed. I live in the Charlotte area and Bradford Pear's are everywhere. Everywhere!
I'm in Charlotte, too, and remember when Bradford Pears were all the rage back in the 80s.
@mavisjones4750 Same, Mavis! Same. I planted three in 1987.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This is one of the most comprehensive explanations, with real world examples, of why everyone needs to remove these trees.
hendersonville nc has put a bounty on these trees. Big effort to try to stop the spread. Fingers crossed.
Ugh these are all over the place in KY. The neighbor behind us has one on the fence line, along with tree of heaven AND white mulberry. 😱
I'm in Fauquier county Virginia and we also have a problem with Tree of Heaven.
They really do pop out of nowhere in early spring! When we lived in Norman, OK, the city required two trees in our front yard. One of our options was Cleveland Pear. Thanks for spreading the word!
With this having been considered sterile when it was released, should we be suspicious of new hybrids of currently invasive things that are also considered sterile right now? Nandina is the first example that pops into my mind.
Yes. Always. Remember, plants are never listed as "invasive" until it's far too late. At first, they were the talk of the town, the belle of the ball, and the whole industry waxed poetic over their virtues. As Jim notes, the first BP brought in was thought safe, but nobody thought about what might happen with it when years later they brought in another type of decorative Pear. Chestnut Blight, Dutch Elm Disease, Ash Die Back.... maybe those are honest accidents, but consider how huge an impact they've had on our ecosystem. Our lans are overrun with Nuisance and Invasive plants like bamboo, privet, holly, honeysuckle and a thousand others, and all of them were thought perfectly fine at the time they were introduced by gardeners of one stripe or another. So if someone tells you that it's "sterile", be careful. And opt for the Native plant that features you are looking for. 99% of the time, there's a native plant that's very similar in shape, color, bloom time, etc. At least that way you know you're not contributing to some future problem.
@@threeriversforge1997what is a native replacement for Nandina?
@@LULC0759 Depends on what it is about the nandina that you really like. Is it the fact that it's evergreen? The berries? Jim just did a video the other day where he talked about the Viburnum obovatum "Raulston Hardy", which I think would be a good substitute since it's evergreen and has both nice flowers in the spring and berries for the birds. A dwarf variety of Ilex vomitoria might also do well, but that requires both the male and female plants to get red barries. The Yaupon holly makes a great native substitute for the boxwoods since it can be trimmed to a formal hedge.
I guess it really comes down to thinking about what you like about the nandina and then looking for a native that best matches that feature.
I have grown nandina 'Firepower' (2' tall dwarf) for more than 10 years. It never flowers, so it has no seed. It is definitely not invasive.
@@SandraSElam I guess that's like the Bradford pear Jim talks about in the beginning of the vid. I have some kind of Nandina in the yard, and it's everywhere. Always popping up from seed, and I know I'm not the only one. It might be classified as a Nuisance plant rather than Invasive, but either way it's hard to get rid of once it's established in the seed bank.
I just saw a pear tree pop up in my backyard here in NJ..will be removing it this spring.
It's truly a problem. There is farmland where wheat once grew, it's so thick with these trees that you can not even walk through. Now nothing else grows there here in Southern NJ.
I had a bird- deposited callery pear come up in my yard, and man, those thorns were vicious! That one small tree took all day because I had to be super careful, so I can imagine without heavy equipment and some sort of plant poison, a stand like that would be hard to control. I feel like I do see more and more every spring - it would probably take the hard work and dedication of whole communities to get it under control and I still see Bradford Pears in landscapes all over Wake County, so the problem just goes on and on...
Quickest way to get rid of the Bradford Pear or any other invasive plant is to find a good use for it. Many years ago we had to drive 20 miles to find a eastern red cedar because they used them for fence post. Now that fences are built with steel post the cedars are thicker than hair.
Thanks, Jim and Stephany! This is an important lesson. I also hope that a control will be found or will naturally occur very soon.
When I was viewing my house in March 2020, I saw a neighbors teee in bloom and it was beautiful. Didn’t know what it was and didn’t understand why my realtor thought it was a bad tree! Fast forward 2024, they still have this tree. I guess it’s not common knowledge about this plant and they seem to like it cause they have kept it.
I watched a group of these spread down the highway and I believe it was Fedex or the city finally paid to have them all removed. The first year they were all chopped down but they just grew back and spread even farther down the road. The second year I believe they chopped them down and then hosed the whole area down with herbicide and that seems to have controlled them. It's just a shame that had to happen because you can follow the invasion all the way back down the road the back of a parking lot of a grocery store where the initial trees planted have started falling apart in all directions and look awful. Some of those have been removed for looking terrible.
It’s sad but I’m glad you made this video. It’s important that people realize what those are. I’ve got one directly behind my house, every house in the row has one too. it’s technically in the utility channel so I can’t do anything about it. I even offered the city to pay for it myself and plant another tree but they said “no we have no plans for it.” The weird thing is they’re starting to spread and the utilities can no longer get into the channel. We have buried lines so if they ever have to work on them it’s gonna be horrendous. The spread comes closer and closer to the property line every year and I cut the sports because it’s dangerous for my son. He’s grabbed one of those thorns when he was smaller.
I just don’t understand why the city still plants them to this day. They put them everywhere as if they have no clue how invasive they are.
They plant them because they are cheap and fast growing. I feel your pain!
Our power company HATES the Bradford pears. They are a major cause of downed power lines. I guess bureaucracy is just that slow.
I have seen these thorny trees in our local parks. I wondered why so many,now I know. I will share and be proactive about tagging and or removing as I am able/ permitted.
Add note. I am in central PA.
They’re everywhere here in Upstate SC, actually I have one in my backyard that the builder left with giant pines, the thorns are nasty. I’m planning to take it down but my yard is crowded with other trees, so we’ll see…
I thought I knew this subject, but this video is deeply informative-and scares my pants off! Here in SW VA, I see thickets like that developing along the highways. This was the case around Columbus, Ohio, when we lived there too.
Such a GREAT educational video! They are bad here in TN as well. 😢
Here in Arkansas they fill up almost every vacant field. I have been warning about them for years. Thanks for posting!
Hello Jim! 👋
Unknowingly, I took mine out of my garden. They are pretty and I liked them but one came down with the wind so out they all went.
I should add that I’ve added reasonable trees to my small yard.
Thank you for posting this! Here in NW Alabama, it's the same as you. All over the South. Terrible plant, absolutely wrecking our woods.
Over the years I've seen my small town and rural area be overtaken by this horrible tree. I'm in south central Missouri. At least the southern half of this state is overwhelmed. Nation wide steps need to be taken to get some kind of control but politicians are too slow to act.
I agree that the over-proliferation of Bradford Pears is a problem in central North Carolina. A shopping center near my neighborhood has 2 rows of them. The pear seeds have invaded an adjacent vacant lot, causing a thicket of Bradford Pear seedlings when the field is not mowed frequently enough. I wish that NC would ban these trees.
Chinese privet is definitely worse down here on the Gulf Coast, at least in our neck of the woods. At least it doesn't have four-inch thorns though lol
Southeast PA has these as well, growing all along recently-cleared roadsides. Just when the Mimosa trees were starting to die off, too…
I was just talking with someone about this last week where i live in Tennessee. I didn't know about the Cleveland pear. This video was very informative!
In my neck of the woods (Southwest GA) it's Oak Trees. Staring across at the street at my neighbors yards and there's literally 3 per yard and the second and third one grew from a sprig. For those unwilling to "decorate" beneath it, it makes for a horrid site of bare ground and a ton of leaves.
I had mine cut down and stump ground out 2 years ago. It grew back from the roots and now i have at least 40 of them trying to grow. I have to go out and cut or pull thrm out every few weeks. I have one more and I'm scared to have it removed. One is better than 40?!?
Very informative Jim. I just moved here from up north and I'm learning about the horticulture here. Thank you for this.
I live in a small town in So. Missouri on the Arkansas border. As I drive to town it is a sea of the horrible trees they’ve taken over the woods. It’s depressing. Missouri has a replacement program but there’s so many I don’t know where you would start.sad
They are all over northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. Almost every fence row in the rural areas has pears growing along them.
When that tree first came out I intended to plant a row of them along my fence. So thankful I didn’t plant any. I see them everywhere when I’m driving & had no idea they were so invasive 0:15
A couple of plants that I think are on par with the invasive pear are the Japanese bush honeysuckle and creeping euonymus aka Wintercreeper. The latter two are incredibly invasive here in central KY in general and, in particular, in my neighborhood. I spend an inordinate amount of time removing them from my yard which is a losing battle because none of my neighbors do likewise. Just today, I traveled across the county and commented to my companion that the pears were just days away from bursting into bloom in nearly every open space and fencerow we passed. IMO, you were a little too kind when describing the smell of the flowers; they smell like carrion to me!
I believe they're starting to ban them here in Pennsylvania. Thank you for this very informative video, Jim.
Great post!! I always try to warn neighbors or whomever of what a huge problem the Bradford pears are!!!!
This was eye opening. A different vibe and very informative. Thanks Jim.
They're prevalent in Mid-town Mobile, AL in competition with the Camphor Tree .
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! This is a wonderful informative video. I am an Extension Master Gardener and I'm sharing this video on my FB page.
Same down here in Atlanta (Georgia) ... UGH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With an axe, wood chipper, mattock and shovel I can clear those Bradford pears from coming back. I've had to dig out privets here in Northern CA would continually respeout from stumps. When i take a tree or shrub out I dont rely on stump grinding to completely kill it. I dig up the entire stump and surrounding roots so it never comes back.
Thanks for this! In my city just outside Boston, there are lots of Callery Pears, as the city labels them. There is one right in front of our house. I have watched in the spring as people walk by and admire the flowers while wrinkling their noses at the snell, which they seem to think is coming from my garden. In the fall, the pears splat onto my car. In recent years they have not flowered, giving me hope they will just die off.
They are everywhere here in Memphis, Tennessee. Not even the Mimosa trees can catch up! 🌿✨️
As a fruitwood, it’s a good choice for smoking in the barbecue grill.
Props to you two for being able to film under those pretty, but rancid smelling trees. They are spreading like wildfire here in southeast PA too.
When seasoned, the fine-grained wood is very plain, with no figure or color. It turns well on a lathe, and can be used to make recorders, flutes, and other musical instruments. It also makes good firewood.
Thx for the advice. I have a few on my property. I am looking at tall one through my window with white flowers as I am typing this. Mine are growing next to pine trees.
Great video Buddy!!
I saw these for sale at a local nursery in NW Arkansas and my heart sank. Lol
Very informative! And a bit scary. Thank you for this video!
As mentioned below, We are terribly overrun with them in Northern Arkansas, too, but I'm not prepared to say it's worse than kudzu. As bad, maybe, but not worse. You can eventually dig these thugs out, but there is no getting rid of kudzu. It's in the process of swallowing 3 houses and a dairy barn about a mile from here, and I'm terrified of it making it to our place.
I was just talking about this, this morning as I have 6 of them on my back berm. I was thinking of leaving one up but not any longer. Mine are about 12 feet tall. I will be taking them out in the fall. Is there a better time of the year to remove them? Unfortunately, my neighbor has the massive, full grown BP's all along her driveway. I wonder if SC will make her cut them down. How are they planning to enforce the ban?
Very interesting plant, Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
We have alot of those in our area. They are pretty though. They grow wild along the road and parks.
We are in Northwest Alabama, and those trees are everywhere. There is a whole field of them across the road behind my house, in full stinky bloom right now. 😢
Jim,
Just shared this video w/ my friends on Facebook. Hope it helps. 😊
Same
The wild pear trees are invading fields in Virginia too. Before I knew better, I planted a row of Aristocrat flowering pear trees in my old garden in the 1990s. They were marketed as better than the Bradford pear, being more resistant to storm damage. They were beautiful, but even they did break in storms. So I've never planted any more - thankfully.
We have a Cleveland, and unfortunately it’s in great shape. We were so excited to buy a property from an avid gardener, only to find that more than half of the well-established plants are invasive species on our state’s official no-fly list 🤦🏻♀️ I’m slowly taking them out and replacing with natives and other non-invasive alternatives, but it’s hard to convince my husband to pull out perfectly healthy plants,
So I expect it’s going to take years.
I live in Wilmington, NC. As I drive up I-40 to Raleigh, I see these pear trees planted at exits 390, 385, and 384. The trees line the entrance and exit ramps, and in spring and fall are beautiful. The gaps in the lines of trees indicate where one has died. I would never plant one of these trees in my yard.
A friend and I were just talking about this today. It's astonishing there isn't an effort, especially here in NC, to contract arborists to clear them out as much as possible.
These trees are everywhere.
I’m up here in Southern Va and yes the Bradfords have taken over.
Good news is they give unlimited firewood 😉
Absolutley an important video. TY
Zone 8a Milton FL. Every Dollar General store has these trees within the landscape (parking lot).
Thanks for the information. I live in CA but I have family who live in Bristol TN. I’ve heard about the Bradford pear that had been planted all along Main Street, how much it stunk😮 and how the branches fell off, but never understood the other issues you have detailed here.
Thank you Jim! Someone told me once that these trees were not good but they didn’t say anything about the invasive nature, then again this may have been before they started taking over! It’s a shame because I think it’s the one of very few trees in a Houston that gives off fall color. I’ve been passing one at a neighbor’s house which actually looks like it could be on its last legs, here’s to hoping!
very interesting- I wonder what a Top 10 Most Invasive list would look like… would Tree of Heaven, Wisteria… 🤔