You gotta go Mr Pear

This tree (circled) was mislabeled when I got it several years ago. I now realize it's most likely a Bradford Pear and it's going to get too big next to the house. My project for this weekend (time and weather permitting) is to whack it down and replace it with a pick flowering dogwood I just bought (about 5' tall right now).

I kinda hate to do it because it's just now got to be about the size I want it and it'll look a little bare when I cut it down. Oh well...live, grow and learn :)



This message was edited Apr 25, 2005 6:33 PM

It's going to take a lot of work tearing down that tree and its roots. BTW, the greenery in your yard is beautiful.

Thanks. That's one of the reasons why I dread it. My plan is to leave the roots in the ground. I'm just going to plant the dogwood a few feet away. I'll saw off the pear level with the ground. If I try to remove the roots, that means I'll have to dig up all the plants around the pear now and I don't want to do that.

The pear stump probably will send up a bunch of vigorous, most likely thorny sprouts (from the understock). Either treat the stump immediately when you cut it or be prepared to deal with that.

Guy S.

It's close to my house, so I can keep an eye on it :) He shall not survive my constant scraping and hoeing...hehe

hc - what is that yellow shrub to the left of the bench? I have to agree with you on the pear!

-Kim

That's a spirea - see photo...

It is beautiful. I think it would look good against my red mulch. Is it this spirea?
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55627/index.html


-Kim

hczone6

I don't think the tree you are removing is a Bradford Pear. Bradford Pears a very columnar in appearance. Yours has a round look and seems too wide to be a Bradford Pear, that is, unless you have done a lot of pruning to keep it round. My mother had one removed from her front yard. She didn't have any root sprouts. After a few years, she did have to fill in the hole left by the rotting trunk & major roots.

BettyDee

Kim - I'll try to find the original plant tag to get the name.

BettyDee - It's a pear of some sort, if not a Bradford. I do know though, it's just going to get too big for this location. I'd be much more comfortable with the dogwood there. I haven't pruned it except for just around the bottom to make room to walk around.

Kim - I can't find the tag for that shrub, but the one you found looks like what I have. That should be it.

I cut down the pear not long ago the old fashioned way - with a double sided ax. Took about 15-20 minutes to get it down. I'll cut the stump off level with the ground later on (with chain saw). Mr Pear has been cut up and thrown on the burn pile to be cremated this Saturday, weather permitting.

The stump

His replacement is seen to the left - a small pink flowering dogwood.

This message was edited Apr 27, 2005 4:24 PM

Speaking of trees...boy I love this one! I've got 2 like this. Absolutely beautiful trees :)

That is a little sad... I see how it is necessary, hc, but it is just such a sad picture... :P A lonely stump.

I didn't want to do it. But it was either do it now and have it be pretty easy or do it later and really wish I'd done it sooner. Thing that stinks is I've basically lost about 5 years in that one location. I'll have to wait awhile on this dogwood. I know they sometimes grow slow :(

You mentioned that the dogwood is five feet tall. Do you happen to know its age? I ask because my dogwood is barely a foot tall and has yet to grow since I bought it a few months ago.

I'm not sure of it's age. I bought it like that. It wasn't very expensive, so I doubt it's very old. They usually charge more for plants that take a long time to grow.