'The Pros and Cons of Bradford Pears' from the Frederick Co., MD. Master Gardener Program (see duluthinbloomz4- 2009 post which includes a portion of what is below) "A combination of plant physiology and physics makes the Bradford very susceptible to wind and ice damage - in fact, it's rare to see an old planting that doesn't have at least one tree missing a substantial chunk of its limbs and trunk. The angle of the Bradford's branches is generally too narrow, and as the tightly-crowded branches grow in girth, the tree begins to push itself apart. At the first strong wind or heavy ice storm, the tree self-destructs.'" duluthinbloomz4 goes on to say "Same can be said for the Clevelands" however the same article bolsters the Cleveland. "If you basically like the tree, but are concerned about its problems (or about your friend's snide comments) you might try another cultivar called Cleveland Select, also known as Cleveland, Select, Chanticleer or Stone Hill. This cultivar is less susceptible to wind or ice damage, and it also hardens up a little earlier in the fall,making it less likely to be hurt by an early frost." Also, thankfully jimbobfeeny(5a IN)-2013 shares descriptions from the UConn Horticulture website about the appearance of the callery pears

Even if it wasn't for the less-than-pleasant smell, I still don't think Callery pears are particular attractive. The blossoms are so tiny, kind of bland and boring. There are other beautiful ornamental flowering trees, but most of them have more vulnerability to disease, and some of them might not grow well in your climate. Bradford pears are very vigorous growers, and that's why you see so many planted in Southern California; they are low-maintenance and can easily grow in hot semi-dry conditions. It's in hot humid areas that they become invasive. (a lot of the landscape species widely planted in Southern California because of their survivability would be invasive and/or take over in other warm climates that have more water)

Esh, you don't want it then?! Thanks for the ID. I actually have 2 of them (both mis-labeled as Dogwood). I suppose you get what you pay for ($10 for 10 trees!). I will be pulling them both out today as I have all my new and exciting trees from the plant sale to put in, so this one will be making way for my new Halesia diptera. Are you able to ID these other small trees, also from ArborDay -- they were labelled as Washington Hawthorne and Sargent Crabapple (although I am not sure which way round as I got mixed up).

sweetpea82, if your Bradford Pear is already splitting, I'd have a tree removal company come and take it down immediately. You don't want the tree to split and take half of your porch down with it. I cannot understand why people are so vehemently against Bradford Pears. It's okay if people don't like them, but some people do (otherwise, they'd never be planted). I have 4 Bradford Pears lining my driveway, and I absolutely adore the shade they give. And their beautiful fall colors are incredible every year! They're not messy trees with only the fall leaf drop which is relatively fast, beautiful on the ground for a few weeks (due to the colored leaves), and then makes for great compost when cleaned up. I will admit, I did not know about their short life or splitting when I planted them (they were recommended because their root system could be planted next to the driveway and foundation). But even though I now know what will happen in the future, I can at least enjoy the trees while they're still young enough to be healthy. I don't agree that they'll split in only 6-8 years. That's not at all what I've read, seen in my neighborhood or experienced myself. From what I know, they'll last between 15-20 years, depending on how sheltered or exposed to the wind they may be and whether or not a high wind tropical storm or hurricane passes through (but these storms cause damage to a lot of trees, not just Bradford Pears). I planted my Bradford Pears about 12 years ago, and so far, so good. From what I've understood, the splitting normally occurs when the trees reach the latter stages of maturity. While young, they maintain a beautiful pyramid shape. However, when they fully mature, the canopy will open up which then causes the branches to start hanging outward from the center of the tree. This is when the splitting usually occurs. The tree cannot hold the weight of the outwardly hanging branches, and the pressure causes the tree to split where it forks at the trunk. As far as planting a crape myrtle so close to the porch, be careful to pick one that is disease and pest resistant. Many crape myrtles can be attacked by pests, most especially aphids which are then "milked" by ants. This causes honeydew to be dropped from the tree, causing sooty mold on the leaves and making a mess of everything underneath the tree. There are times in which I've watched my crape myrtles look like they're "raining" or "crying" as the honeydew is dropping off the trees so much. To remedy this, of course you can spray the tree, but the question then becomes whether you want to be spraying your tree so close to your porch. Depending on the layout of your lot and porch, you may want to consider a larger, more permanent tree further away from the porch that will give you a lot of shade in the long run. You could plant a fast growing, short lived tree close to the porch now while you allow the permanent tree to grow large enough to give you the shade you want, and then remove the temporary tree later on. I have two beautiful Live Oak trees in my backyard which give me the most glorious shade for my patio. Even though my patio is covered, the sun will still heat things up in the Summer. By planting trees all over my front, side and back yards, my entire property is much cooler in general so my patio is not only shaded, but the air all around my house is cooler. The other benefit by having large, permanent trees on your property is that as they grow larger, they won't just shade your porch, but they'll shade the roof of your house which will actually help to lower your air conditioner bills in the Summer. I have also found that the shade creates a wonderful gardening environment with dappled shade cooling off the plants, giving them some protection from the scorching mid-summer heat, but still allowing enough sunlight to come through for flowering plants to flourish. Furthermore, if you ever wish to sell your house, permanent trees raise the selling value of your house and help your house to sell more quickly because the trees create a more desirable environment overall. You may want to contact your county's Extension Agency for a list of recommended trees in your area. Consider how big the trees will grow at maturity (height and width), what diseases and/or pests they are susceptible to, and whether their roots cause known problems (such as you cannot plant a Live Oak close to a sidewalk, driveway or foundation because the roots will crack the concrete and Crape Myrtle roots tend to rise to the surface and can sometimes sucker quite a bit), how fast the tree grows, and how long they usually live. You may also want to look for a university close by that's into agriculture which may have a list of recommended trees. I find that Texas A&M University has a lot more information than my local county extension agency. One other tree I just thought of that you might want to consider is a Holly tree. Look for the ones that are known to grow well in your area. Many of them are gorgeously dark green year-round and have a beautiful display of red berries in the fall which is very attractive to many birds. The one caveat is that their flowers in the spring attract a lot of bees. While the bees cause no harm, many people are afraid of them so you may not feel comfortable having them so close to your porch. Also keep in mind that a large number of bushes can be grown in tree form. The basic Ligustrum, which is usually used for hedges, can be grown into small trees (ditto on the bee issue in the Spring). But look around as there might be a bush that, when properly shaped, can grow into a tree form to suit your needs. If you want immediate shade, you can buy a more mature shrub/tree and have the nursery plant it for you. Just stick with container grown; never get a tree that's been transplanted from one of those huge spade trucks. The transplanted trees take longer to recover from the transplant than it takes for a smaller, container grown tree to grow. The only exception to buying a mature tree is the Redbud as it does not like to have its roots disturbed, and the more mature the tree, the more risk of it dying when planted (not to mention, they're short-lived trees and you don't want them to only have a few years left after you plant them). Okay, I'm sure that's way too much information! LOL! Hopefully, something I've suggested will be helpful. Whatever you end up doing, I wish you the best of luck!