Last week on Facebook, we posted what we thought was a kind of funny post about pruning Bradford pears. It contained a photo of a Bradford pear and the following commentary: “Just a reminder that it’s Bradford Pear pruning season. To prune your Bradford pear, grab your best power saw and make a horizontal cut, just above ground level.” We must have struck a nerve because that post had almost 4 million views…that’s right 4 million views. It even attracted the attention of one of our local television stations which gave us the opportunity to tell more people about this problematic tree.

Some people adamantly agreed with the post, while others were wondering why the Bradford was the object of such scorn, especially those who loved their Bradford Pears. So, let’s talk about the issue with the Bradford.

The Bradford Pear (Pyrus callerana ‘Bradford’) was first introduced into the United States in the early 1900’s as a way to help control fire blight in the common pear tree. Fire blight is a bacterial disease that can be devastating to a variety of fruit trees. By the 1980’s, this tree had become the second most popular ornamental tree in the U.S.

What wasn’t to like about a tree that grew rapidly to about 12 to 15 feet in height over a period of 8 to 10 years and then continued to grow to about 30 to 50 feet in height and 20 to 30 feet in width. The only downside we knew of was that these trees had a relatively short life span of 15 to 25 years, less if we get a strong wind or an ice storm.

The people that love their Bradfords typically appreciate their white flowers that appear in the spring. While beautiful, many people associate a rather unpleasant smell with their flowers, something akin to rotting fish. The problem is the Bradford pear has a dark side.

While the Bradford was originally bred to be sterile, and thorn-less, they cross-pollinate easily to produce a small apple-like fruit. In the fall after a few freezes, the fruit softens and becomes a favorite food of area birds who help spread the seeds through their droppings.

Unfortunately, rather than new Bradfords springing up from these seeds, they revert back to their variety of origin which is a very invasive tree with long thorns that have been known to puncture tractor tires. It’s quite likely that all those beautiful trees with white blossoms you saw along the road a few weeks ago were the unfortunate spawn of the Bradfords. Since they are so prolific, they crowd out native plants in the area, creating dense thickets of thorny trees.

So, what do we do about the Bradford pear now that we know what we know about them? The first thing we can do is make the conscious choice not to plant Bradfords in our landscape. There are so many other varieties of trees to choose from here in Oklahoma that almost any other choice would be a better choice.

Second, if you have a Bradford in your landscape, consider replacing it. If you love the early flowering aspect of this tree, check out a dogwood or redbud tree.

For more information on trees that do well in Tulsa, visit our website and click on the Lawn and Garden section and then click on trees. Here you’ll find some of our favorite trees for the area. Good luck!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: Susan Coman