I understand there are people who don't like a callery pear, but I think they are lovely. I will be shovel pruning this tree today. I may put a Rose of Sharon in it's place instead as this area is a little to close to the house. I do want an ornamental pear tree but think I may look for a stronger cultivar for landscaping around my home. Thank you! Just glad I didn't waste any serious effort on this mystery tree.

And for those who hate ROS, stray seedlings produced don't bother me as we just mow them down with the lawn. No harm, no foul.

The issue with Callery pear is not whether or not it is lovely. Rather, it is this species penchant for out -competing native species in the wild that has brought our scorn on the continued use of the plant. Likewise with Norway maple-there's a reason they became so popular: Lustrous foliage, nice form, decent size potential, non-fussy nature, etc. It is only that species' ability to push out other, native plant species that has placed that one on the do not plant list, not any supposed aesthetic shortcomings. To some of us, this is not a frivolous thing. In any case, that wasn't a pear, of any kind.

+oM

Close view looks like elder (Sambucus). Since there is no good view of the stems, it cannot be seen if those are like this also.

If your State Department of Natural Resources lists a tree as a weed maybe you should listen and not plant them.

Also, I like the callery pears too, but they do not come true from seed.

You might get one that looks like the bradford or it might be an alternate shape or even have thorns. If you really want one then you will need to buy a named one from a garden center or big box store. They are 50% off now at lowes and home depot.

I live in KY and callery pears are not on our invasive species list. I only called this (the elder looking tree) a weed because it cropped up right in the middle of my friends yard under her Bradford, leading her to believe it was an offspring of the Bradford. The way I look at it, if something is growing where you don't want it, its a weed. I didn't think it was a Callery pear from the get-go but we gave my friend the benefit of the doubt and planted it anyway as the tree was badly wilted when she gave it to me from being in her car so you couldn't tell much about it. As it perked up I realized it was probably not a Bradford. I planted a weeping Japanese Cherry tree seedling in it's place so it worked out. After researching more on Callery pears I do not want a weak tree that close to my house anyway but that's not saying I wouldn't have one on my property. I would probably go with a stronger cultivar (Aristocrat) and not Bradford or Cleveland. Thanks everyone for your input!

If the Cherry was a seedling it is a bit of a gamble as to how it will turn out.

Do weeping cherry trees not grow true from seed? I got it from yet another friend who has one in her yard. lol

Callery pears are absolutely a problem in Kentucky. But if you decide to go ahead and plant one of these short-lived, stinky, weak wooded trees, please volunteer at one of your local National or State forests on one of their clean up days. I don't mean trash cleanup but invasive plant removal.

Callery pear is likely on the list at every forest and park in your beautiful state. If we contribute to the problem, we should be part of the remedy, don't you think?

Volunteer work days are a great way to meet a bunch of nice people.

Weeping cherry trees may come true if you plant the large-growing, wild type Prunus pendula that used to be planted in the past (and is a feature of Japanese print and web pages about heritage trees, where preposterous ages are claimed for them) or maybe another comparatively prototypical kind like [Snow Fountains] = 'Snofozam' - which being a single that fruits a lot may tend to come true - haven't had any occasion to see this yet. But I wouldn't count on a double pink cultivar coming up double pink. And with any of these others (including perhaps 'Snofozam') I suppose you might not even get weeping seedlings much of the time, let alone ones with the same flowers.

"I live in KY and callery pears are not on our invasive species list."

I'm not sure where you got that idea. Not only are they on the list, they are in the highest (most environmentally damaging) category (the worst of the worst)!

KY-EPPC Invasive Plant List

kfelton002 - your cherry might not even be a a seedling but rather a sucker. In that case it could be from a rootstock which is quite different to the main tree.

I looked again at the invasive list for KY I was looking at and it was just the "top 10" list. So I guess those were the worst and I didn't see callery pears on it. I didn't realize the list was so extensive. If they are invasive why do garden centers and nurseries still sell them to people? The tree will only continue to be sold and planted by unknowing people as long as they don't know any better and people continue to sell them.

The tree that my seedling came from is a weeping cherry around 15-20 feet tall so it's not a dwarf variety I'm guessing. The seedling is only about 4 inches tall and is still very young, but has it's own set of roots and wasn't attached onto a larger root from the mother tree. I did a search to see what young seedlings for this tree looks like and it looks to be what it is. I will try to snap a pic of it today and put it on here to double check just for safe measure. I understand I won't get a "pure strain" or whatever but more a cross with whatever cherry tree the mother tree was pollinated with. I don't mind as long as it flowers and has weeping branches. I will allow it to grow for a while and if I see it isn't going to do either of those things later I will shovel prune it.

Thank you all so much for all the input. I have only started gardening just this year so I am still learning all the time. I have never cared about flowers or trees before, the interest was only sparked early this spring so I have been planting anywhere and everywhere. lol

"If they are invasive why do garden centers and nurseries still sell them to people? The tree will only continue to be sold and planted by unknowing people as long as they don't know any better and people continue to sell them."

that is how capitalism works. If you just tell people not to sell dirty coal but switch to clean coal (as happened kn st louis back in the day), or alcohol or drugs they keep doing it until you pass laws and threaten to or put them in jail.

there is no doubt fear at Lowes if they stop selling the pears home depot will get ahead by continuing to sell them. Makes you wonder what would happen if the wouldn't get sued out of business if they sold ceiling fans which burnt houses down. No 200 million dollar law suits and we'd have defectiv3 ceiling fans (and prescription drugs) for sale everyplace.

Maybe when I am bored later I will write the box store's PR departments asking for an answer to why they ignore state DNRs. It is bound to be an interesting rationalization if they answer. Hell, maybe I will load a DNR page on the tablet then go film a store manager when I show it to him.