Archive for the ‘Pear (Ornamental)’ Category

Substitutes For Callery Pear

The end to planting Callery pears (Pyrus calleryana), aka Bradford Pear, is almost within sight as more states are banning sales of the tree at garden centers and box store garden departments. Recently, Ohio, South Carolina and Pennsylvania have banned further plantings. This March blooming flowering tree has been determined to be invasive. It produces […]

New ‘Chastity’ Ornamental Pear

Before you totally give up on ornamental pear trees (Pyrus calleryana) as invasive, a decision that I would never argue against, take a look at the new Chastity pear. NEW! NEW! NEW! on the market is Chastity pear, a triploid hybrid that is both very ornamental and highly infertile (USDA hardiness zones 5-9). Chastity™ Pear was specifically […]

Select A Good Street Or Landscape Tree

First of all, there is no perfect tree, either for a street or landscape planting. However, many excellent cultivars are now available at local nurseries and retail garden centers. Select one that matches your site requirements. Site factors include: amount of sunlight daily, soil type, soil pH (acidity or alkalinity), and soil drainage. What kind of […]

Common Street and Landscape Trees

Across the U.S. and Canada, city planners, landscape architects, and property owners now enjoy a wide selection of landscape trees to plant on city streets, along roadsides, and in yards and gardens. Over the past half century new and improved varieties (cultivars) are disease and pest resistant and exhibit better branching and architecture. We now know to avoid […]

Protect Young Trees and Shrubs From Voles, Rabbits And Other Critters

Rabbits, chipmunks, and voles (field mice) need a home for the winter. They often choose to nestle up near newly planted trees and shrubs and gnaw  on their sweet sapwood, girdling the trunk and essentially killing the tree. Fruit-bearing plants often damaged by critters over their first 1-2 winters include: apple, pear, peach, redbud, blueberry, and cane fruits. Young […]

Pest Alert: Japanese Maple Scale Becoming A Serious Problem

  Japanese maple scale is a new pest in Tennessee and surrounding states. It infests many more plant species than just Japanese maple. The insect’s small size and ability to blend in naturally with tree bark makes it challenging to detect until populations are high and it has infested large landscape and neighborhoods. Japanese maple scale […]

Are Your Trees Hazardous?

                    Is a hazardous tree lurking in your yard, ready to fall on your house or car? Take a few minutes to inspect trees on your property. Peek over the fence at your neighbor’s trees as well. Some property owners have an unnatural fear of trees. Well-shaped landscape trees with […]

Too Early Fall Color A Telltale Signal Of Tree In Trouble

Early leaf color or premature leaf drop often tells a property owner that their tree(s) may not be healthy. Photo above, taken in front of a new subdivision, says alot. Large red maples show leaf color weeks ahead of their natural timeline. Notice the narrow median where the trees are planted. The cause of early […]

Beware of Storm Damaged Trees

This past weekend Northeast Tennessee as well as most of the coastal eastern U.S. was hit by heavy snow, 7 inches and more of heavy, wet clinging snow. Many of my neighbors lost electric power, telephone and cable. A driveby survey of tree damage around the neighborhood found that the following tree species suffered the […]