I am amongst the many who maligns the Bradford Pear and I encourage people not to plant it because it is weak, breaks in strong wing etc. etc.
When Katrina came through New Orleans with 115mph. winds for many hours that was enough to topple many oaks and large trees. Then, the floodwater sat for three weeks.
Look at this photo. I took it on Saturday in an upscale (well, used to be) neighborhood in New Orleans. Look at the tree on the left---it survived. A Bradford Pear.
Nature/storms do strange things. I wouldn't change my mind about Bradford pears in general based on this one example. I bet thousands of people could post photos of them where they have dropped limbs in winds of much smaller intensity than a hurricane.
I saw a huge Bradford in New Jersy last year. It was the last one left of a streetside planting of hundreds done many years ago. Gee, wonder what happened to the rest of them . . .
If you want I should take care of that pear for ya, just lemme know -- I'll be happy to send youse one of our nice little Midwest ice storms to break its knees.
Guy S.
More than likely, this pestilence of plants is still upright due to the sacrifices of the no-longer-there trees that once surrounded it.
Like cockroaches and rats, this survivor will now have the opportunity to exploit the vacuum created by the loss of all the other species which are now absent.
Imagine all the fruit-laden remaining pears, just waiting to cast their offspring far and wide into the fresh layers of sediments. Consider how far and insidiously the fruit floated last fall.
Coming plague of pears, indeed.
Liveoaklady, it looks like there is a lot of dead pines over there. Two years after Ivan, when I drive through Gulf Shores it seems like thats all I see is dead pine trees everywhere from the storm surge. It's really depressing. Whats even worse is the Chinese Tallow trees come out of the storms untouched. Agrr!! I hate those things!
Do we have a Bradford Pear sympathizer among us?! LOL
Yeah, it wouldn't change my mind on Bradfords either.
That one may have been protected from full winds that awful day because of its closeness to the houses, and other trees once there.
That weed looks like it has overstayed its lifespan.
I can just see the sweat on its brow "Whew, that was close"! it says.
The Bradford person still ought to be ashamed of him or herself.
Hehe.. A midwest ice-storm would bring it down quick!
Will
A midwest ice storm will bring more than Bradford Pears down. Not a very good comparison......If you were living in this area during the last two ice storms shortleaf I'm sure you saw a wide variety of trees ready for the chipper!
I used to suggest to people who just HAD to have one that they buy it very small, immediately thin it to remove the bad branch unions that probably weren't addressed at the nursery, prune it annually until it reached about 25 feet tall to force it to develop a good scaffold against its will, and pray to whatever god they worship that it would make it. Now that it's being pollinated by all the newer cultivars and becoming invasive, I don't even reccomend that anymore. Just don't do it.
Guy S.
Where do I get one?
Bill
Just go down to the local landfill where they dump storm-damaged tree chips. You can find zillions of them there, albeit there will be some reassembly required.
Guy S.
I love puzzles.
