“The tune I remember, if I could but keep the words.” —Virgil
Images Courtesy of Ginny Neil.
I am doing something I have never done before. And it’s all because of a discordant song. Let me explain. This spring, on a drive to and through the Shenandoah Valley, I was greeted by the first notes of spring.
It started with dotted half notes of coltsfoot along the mountain roads. But, when I reached the valley, it was quickly overwritten by staccato bursts of redbud, flowering cherry and crabapple. There were tremolos of forsythia and allegros of daffodils. Spirea dropped in occasional pianissimo notes of tender white blooms.
And then, I crested a hill and was met by a fortissimo crash of white blossoms. At first I was delighted because I thought I was seeing serviceberries. But, then it hit me. It was an invasion of pop-up performers. They were stunning, but the clamor of those Bradford pears completely overpowered the delicate melody of the spring song. And, they were everywhere.
Hawked by nurseries and planted by city beautification committees, Bradford pear trees were supposed to be sterile. But, they aren’t. They cross pollinate with other pear species, and the result is a tree with huge thorns capable of puncturing tractor tires, a stinky smell, low food value for native insects and an incredibly strong will to live. Birds, who love the fruit, gorge and then plant seeds when they poop. The seeds spring to life with amazing efficiency.
In every area, where the ground was not mowed or bush-hogged, I gawped at entire fields of same-age Bradford pears. Many states have made it illegal to plant or sell them, but I was dismayed to find that they are still available online for purchase. Uninformed homeowners are only a click away from planting disaster.
In North Carolina there is a program, called the Bradford Pear Bounty Program, that is providing resources for home and land owners to remove and replace the trees with native species. In Virginia there is a similar program run by the Virginia Department of Forestry. South Carolina will begin offering exchanges in October of this year. The University of Kentucky runs a “tree bounty” program. I am sure there are other programs that I am not aware of.
I am on a mission to spread the word. Don’t plant a Bradford (Callery) pear tree. If you have these invasives on your property, cut them down and treat the stumps with a recommended herbicide. Replace them with natives like tupelo, fringe tree, dogwood, redbud or serviceberry.
I am seeing Bradford pears everywhere! Which brings me to the thing I have never done before: learning to propagate cuttings of softwood. I pre-marked some serviceberry trees in the spring as they were blooming to make finding them again in the summer easier.
July and August are the perfect time to collect soft-wood cuttings. I cut the tips of branches about six inches long. If the cutting won’t break when I bend it, it’s too old. If it doesn’t snap, then it’s too young. Then, I place the tender shoots in bags lined with wet paper towels so they won’t dry out.
At home, I open small wounds in the bark by snapping off one or two leaves and shaving off a small sliver of bark. I treat each wound with rooting hormone, tuck the cuttings into individual containers of a soilless mix, cut the remaining leaves in half, water deeply and then slip it all into a plastic bag which will act as a greenhouse until the babies root.
Like all newborns they will require weekly care but, if I am successful, I will share my saplings with any neighbors who wish to replace their Bradford pears.
I hope we humans have learned a lesson from the multiflora rose, autumn olive and garlic mustard debacle. It is better to act sooner than later. Please join me in the fight.
The story above first appeared in our July / August 2024 issue.
