Today this tree is considered invasive in many states, in stark contrast to how it grows in its native range in Asia. However, its commercial success has now become overshadowed by its tendency to spread along roadways and into natural areas through reseeding. The Callery pear ( Pyrus calleryana), and particularly its many cultivars such as ‘Bradford’, ‘Cleveland Select’, and ‘Aristocrat’, has become one of the most popular ornamental trees in North America. ![]() If you have experience with combating fire blight in your landscape, please leave me a comment below or e-mail me at If you enjoy being part of the Mid-Atlantic Gardening community, join our e-mail list, become a fan on Facebook and follow me at Twitter.One of the most notable heralds of spring in the eastern United States is the profuse blooming of ornamental pear trees in front yards and along city streets. Consult your local extension agent for other varieties that work well in your gardening area. If crabapples are more your style, consider planting Candied Apple, Louisa or Prairie Fire. Resistant pear varieties include Honeysweet, Magness and Moonglow. Resistant apple varieties include Honeycrisp, Jonagold and Winesap. ![]() ![]() While that doesn’t mean that these varieties will never get fire blight, it does mean that they stand a fighting chance without a lot of fussing over them by you. There are many, many varieties of apples, pears and crabapples that are resistant to fire blight. The old saying that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” certainly applies here. You can also spray your trees with a bactericide every 7-10 days from bloom time through the spring rainy season but who wants to go through all of that trouble? Dispose of these branches in a landfill or burn them if your local conditions permit it. So what can you do if your trees are infected? If the outbreak is relatively minor, you can prune out the infected branches, ensuring that you remove an additional 8″-12″ of stem below the apparent infection. It’s one more reason to remove Bradford Pears from your landscape…or at least vow not to plant anymore. With the mild winter and wet spring that the Mid-Atlantic Gardening region is experiencing, fire blight infections are a common experience in a landscape still dominated by Bradford Pears. Sooty mold is often seen growing near the cankers due to their sweet exudate. These cankers weep and ooze and allow for the bacteria to be transmitted from tree to tree by insects as well as wind driven rain. The bacteria that causes fire blight causes cankers that generally set up shop on the trunks of the trees. Let’s take a closer look at the life cycle of fire blight in order to understand it better. Fire blight can also affect the blossoms and they end up turning brown prematurely and dying. The leaves turn brown and then black and the affected areas can reach a foot or more from the terminal growth tips. This damage causes a classic shepherd’s hook appearance. Fire blight gets its name from the damage that it causes: it looks like someone has gone around and set the tips of your plants on fire. ![]() Its victims can also include apples, crabapples, Pyracantha and hawthornes. This picture shows the classic case of fire blight. Fire blight is a bacterial disease that affects Bradford pear trees as well as fruit-producing pears. If you have Bradford Pears in your yard, you may be experiencing symptoms that look like this: While I believe that we can learn a lot about gardening from Polyface Farms, I know that you have questions about the plants that you are growing in your backyard. After a week talking about our Lunatic Tour at Polyface Farms, it’s time to get back to gardening.
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