Bradford Pear

If you have been alive the last few days and been outdoors you must have noticed the beautiful fall color on the Bradford pear trees. Orange, red with purple cast that glow in the sunlight. I think they are the most striking fall color tree here in Modesto.

And I hate them!

How can anyone hate a wonderful tree like this? In addition to the fall color they are showy in the spring with a mass of white blooms. They also have an upright growth pattern that keeps the branches out of your way.

And I hate them?

The reasons in the first two paragraphs are the reason that nurserymen, landscape designers and landscape architects all over the country fell in love with them.

Now for the bad news.

Unfortunately for everyone that planted them or recommended them we found out a few things after they were 10 to 15 years old. One is their disconcerting bad habit of having big branches breaking out after a storm. Often this was one third to one half of the tree on the ground. By careful training early, the problem can be corrected. Unfortunately the city crews don't have time to get by often enough to do it and home owners either forget or don't know how to train the correctly. In any case they are almost never trained so they will stand up to the weather.

Secondly is fire blight. When they were introduced they were sold as fire blight resistant. Well they might be, but they do get a similar disease that affects them the same. After the bloom the disease enters the tree from the blossoms and causes dead branches and twigs all over the tree.

Thirdly they developed the bad habit of heavy berry production. Small green berries that create a terrific mess and germinate everywhere under the tree.

At my house I have two Bradford Pear street trees that are spectacular this fall and will be again this spring. I intend to enjoy them while I can but I realize "This too shall pass."

If you want one it is a special order tree for us and to get us to order it you have to pass a special test to be sure you know what you are doing.

I guess I have a love hate relationship with them.