H
18

Watching a storm snap a Bradford pear in my neighbor's yard last week made me realize how often we plant the wrong tree for the wrong place.

Three years ago I would have recommended that same tree for a quick screen, but after seeing its weak branch unions fail under a normal spring wind in Charlotte, I'm only suggesting natives with stronger wood from now on... anyone else completely re-evaluate a go-to species after one bad event?
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
richardfox
richardfox2mo ago
What other "fast fix" trees have you seen fail like that?
5
palmer.henry
Oh man @richardfox, those Bradford pears are the worst offenders. They grow super fast but the branch structure is a disaster waiting to happen. Saw a whole row split apart in a storm last spring.
3
ryan_carr59
Remember when everyone planted those skinny columnar aspens as instant privacy hedges? Saw a whole row snap like toothpicks in a Denver microburst.
-1