Last year on Facebook, we made a tongue in cheek post about Bradford Pear trees, suggesting the proper way to prune a Bradford was to get your chainsaw and make a horizontal cut, flush with the ground. We must have touched a nerve because that post got over 4 million views. I guess we went viral.

Some people were all in favor of the advice, while others attempted to take us to task for dissing their favorite tree. So, let’s talk about the Bradford and what the problem is.

The Bradford Pear (Pyrus callerana ‘Bradford’) was originally developed as a way to help control fire blight in pear trees. Fire blight can be a devastating bacterial disease in fruit trees. In the 1980’s Bradfords became one of the most popular ornamental trees in the U.S.

This popularity was for good reason since Bradfords grew fairly fast to a height of between 12 and 15 feet in the first few years but then continued to grow to a height of between 30 to 50 feet. The only downside we were aware of at the time was that the wood was fairly soft making it easily damaged in a wind or ice storm.

One of the reasons people loved the Bradford was their springtime white flowers. Those flowers were beautiful, but many people say the flowers have an unpleasant smell, smelling something like rotting fish. While that is potentially tolerable, there’s a dark side to the Bradford that only came to light through the years.

The original Bradford was bred to be sterile and thornless. What came to be known was that their fruits could be cross-pollinated resulting in the production of a small, apple-like fruit. After a few freezes in the fall, the fruit softens and becomes a preferred food for birds. The birds eat the fruits and spread the seeds in their droppings.

The downside is that the trees that grew from these seeds reverted to their variety of origin (Callery pear) which is a very invasive tree with long thorns. These thorns are reported to be able to puncture tractor tires. To further complicate the issues, they are very prolific, crowding out native plants in the area, creating very dense thickets of these thorny trees. Ranchers are not a fan. Driving down the highway, you can see these dense out-croppings of the Callery pear.

So, knowing that, what do we do about the Bradford problem. First of all, don’t purchase a new Bradford for your landscape. There are so many other trees that do well in our area. You can find some of our recommendations on our website (www.tulsamastergardeners.org), just click on Lawn and Garden Help and then Trees and Shrubs. Almost any tree would be a better choice.

If you have a Bradford in your landscape, it would be advisable to consider replacing it. If the flowers are the attraction to the Bradford, consider a dogwood or redbud tree. 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: Tom Ingram