Then, one by one, those three bad boys split. This last one went out with a bang, followed by a thud. It took down the power and cable lines and crushed two newly planted trees. Its full weight lay on top of a Japanese Stewartia for days. Who invests and plants an elegant Japanese Stewartia under a big old bad boy Bradford pear? Don’t answer that.
But on those glorious spring days when all three were in bloom, walkers would stop and ask, “What kind of tree is this?” When I told them a Bradford pear, they asked when do the pears arrive? I’d explain that they don’t bear fruit due to the lack of cross pollination. You need two different varieties of pear to bear fruit. We had no fruit because we had nothing but Bradford pears. You can get fruit with a mixture of other ornamental pear varieties, but you need two different varieties, and they need to bloom at the same time. Oh, and they must be planted close enough so bees can pollinate them. Got that? Because I’m not sure my long explanation could get any longer.
Their second bad habit. Birds spread their small fruit everywhere, mostly where you don’t want them. They’re so aggressive that they choke out native shrubs and trees. You’ve seen them all over roadways and in highway ditches. Avert your eyes, cover your ears. Do not be lured in by their siren song. These bad habits have landed Bradford pears on the most wanted list — the invasive plant list— in many states. In North Carolina, I’m told that if you bring in a photo of your fallen Bradford pear tree, they’ll give you a native tree to replace it.
I was bemoaning my fate to my mother who lives out on the Nebraska prairie in Willa Cather country. Her problem is far more serious and not of her own making. Grass fires. The drought has made everything “like tinder,” she says. High winds are fueling those fires. One nearby farm was destroyed. My mother has reason to worry – the fires are burning close to home.
Right after the tree fell, I saw a robin with a beak full of nesting material looking like her future had been blown off course. I know the feeling.
Every day I walk by the gaping hole and ponder the possibilities.
Replacement tree contenders – all natives:
Learn why Bradford Pears became popular: