Hello everyone. I have a tree growing wild in my backyard. I have been trying to identify it online, but can't ID it for sure. It would be great if it could be a good yard tree, but I need to move it from it's current location asap because it's between the garage and a walkway. Also, it had ants and aphids all over it.
Here are the pictures:
Full length view of tree, sorry it's sideways.
[img]https://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k89/kookie_kabana/Picture272.jpg[/img]
Close-up of leaves.
[img]https://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k89/kookie_kabana/Picture260.jpg[/img]
Bark.
[img]https://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k89/kookie_kabana/Picture256.jpg[/img]
Ants and aphids (yum).
[img]https://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k89/kookie_kabana/Picture263.jpg[/img]
Thanks.
Never mind, some one on another forum identified it as an invasive Callery Pear. D'oh! Oh well, at least I can dispose of it now, and find some good native species to fill my yard. Anyone have any suggestions, I have plenty of room for several trees!
Here's a link about the Callery Pear.
https://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/invasivetutorial/callery_pear.htm
Here's a link about the Callery Pear.
https://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/invasivetutorial/callery_pear.htm
The author of the below article sent me copies of his original interview of the "Father" of the Bradford Pear who was very sorry he had created the Bradford beast. With what I read, I can't believe we ever allowed this monster to be released in a gazillion different cultivars by the nursery industry. Blatant irresponsibility and lack of respect for the environment as far as I'm concerned.
https://ipmnet.umd.edu/5-8art1.htm
Really encouraging to learn you will be removing that tree. Wish everyone was as responsible as you. Hint regarding the destruction of Pyrus calleryana and any cultivar- take a hand ax and girdle it first before taking it down. You'll know when it's on its way to calleryana heaven when it starts dying back. It's not allelopathic so you can use it in habitat brush piles if you want or leave it drop to the ground to create biomass.
Tell me more about your yard please. I have a particular fondness for native woodies. Also too, do you want trees that are appealing or functional?
https://ipmnet.umd.edu/5-8art1.htm
Really encouraging to learn you will be removing that tree. Wish everyone was as responsible as you. Hint regarding the destruction of Pyrus calleryana and any cultivar- take a hand ax and girdle it first before taking it down. You'll know when it's on its way to calleryana heaven when it starts dying back. It's not allelopathic so you can use it in habitat brush piles if you want or leave it drop to the ground to create biomass.
Tell me more about your yard please. I have a particular fondness for native woodies. Also too, do you want trees that are appealing or functional?
Thanks for the advice on removing the tree, I'm trying to learn as I go and trying to keep mistakes to a minimum, and this forum is helping a lot. I recieved that same link form the person who identified the tree, funny enough. I consider myself responsible for what I plant in my yard, and I don't want to be part of the problem. The trees I plant might be here longer than I am!
The back fence is 196' and I would say that the side fences are about 115'. It's not a rectangle but it's close. There are no plants or trees in the yard away from the house, only a small shed. The back fence is south of the house, so we get the sun from one side to the other. The soil is clay. I'd like fuctional trees over appealing.
Again, thanks for your advice.
The back fence is 196' and I would say that the side fences are about 115'. It's not a rectangle but it's close. There are no plants or trees in the yard away from the house, only a small shed. The back fence is south of the house, so we get the sun from one side to the other. The soil is clay. I'd like fuctional trees over appealing.
Again, thanks for your advice.
That particular article foreshadowed the problems we are having today with Calleryana pears. Not surprised a link to it was shared with you by someone else.
Kentucky is a wonderful place to garden. In the functional woody department, check out the following-
Diospyros virginiana
Carya illinoinensis
C. cordiformis
Asimina triloba
Corylus americana
Amelanchier arborea
A. laevis
From there you might want to consider filling in with peaches, pears, and apples. Cherries and plums might break your heart so you might want to steer clear of those for a bit.
Viburnums are functional from a wildlife standpoint and look great in any landscape. Viburnum acerifolium is one of my favorites. V. rafinesqueanum, rufidulum, and nudum would be nice too.
Kentucky is a wonderful place to garden. In the functional woody department, check out the following-
Diospyros virginiana
Carya illinoinensis
C. cordiformis
Asimina triloba
Corylus americana
Amelanchier arborea
A. laevis
From there you might want to consider filling in with peaches, pears, and apples. Cherries and plums might break your heart so you might want to steer clear of those for a bit.
Viburnums are functional from a wildlife standpoint and look great in any landscape. Viburnum acerifolium is one of my favorites. V. rafinesqueanum, rufidulum, and nudum would be nice too.
From what I can find online, the Pawpaw sounds really cool. I'm going to try to find the fruit at a local farmer's market to see if I like the fruit. If not, I might plant them anyway, apparently they're popular with wildlife. And the leaves are a natural insecticide. I also like the serviceberry and the persimmon.
I'm not sure about the nut trees because I read that they can cause some damage when you mow the lawn (lauching hickory nuts from the mower!). But any tree that drops a mess like that will do the same, so I'm not decided. I would have the area immediately under the tree mulched anyway. We have more than enough grass.
I have until fall to start on this anyway, plenty of time to decide. I'm really excited to try the pawpaw. I'll post what I think when I get to try one.
I'm not sure about the nut trees because I read that they can cause some damage when you mow the lawn (lauching hickory nuts from the mower!). But any tree that drops a mess like that will do the same, so I'm not decided. I would have the area immediately under the tree mulched anyway. We have more than enough grass.
I have until fall to start on this anyway, plenty of time to decide. I'm really excited to try the pawpaw. I'll post what I think when I get to try one.
Those trees are native to me too so I have them growing here. You will like the taste of pawpaws very much. A friend sent me about 20 pawpaws next day air once. That was the first time I had ever had one. They don't show up in markets anywhere around here. We promptly ate all the fruit and I made everyone save the seeds so I could propagate the plant. Now all my friends have pawpaws and so do my neighbors. That was a few years ago and none of our trees are fruiting yet but someday in the not so distant future!
https://members.aol.com/BLaneKY/recipes.htm
https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ksu-pawpaw/cooking.html#MISCELLANEOUS
Persimmons are the one that people either love or hate.
https://members.aol.com/BLaneKY/recipes.htm
https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ksu-pawpaw/cooking.html#MISCELLANEOUS
Persimmons are the one that people either love or hate.
An interesting read here-
https://www.fred.net/kathy/pawpaws.html
You'll want to plant a few as most are self-infertile. They're small trees anyway.
Why they aren't more available in grocery stores??? The skin seems to always splotchy looking when they're ripe. My guess is they simply don't present well no matter how they are presented. People tend to like perfect fruit and there simply aren't any pawpaws out there that could be placed in a fruit basket in the middle of one's kitchen table. I'm pretty sure it comes down to aesthetics. People would be rooting through the mound of pawpaws trying to find unblemished fruits and it "ain't gonna happen". With an increased interest in organically grown produce and a willingness on behalf of many buyers to accept blemished fruits, the pawpaw is beginning to make its way to some shelves. I saw it for sale in either TN or KY just recently. I once saw it for sale at a chain of grocery stores called Treasure Island. Supply and demand. Currently not enough demand to warrant making it available which to me is shocking because they taste really great.
My thoughts are that the best time to plant a pawpaw would be in spring so you might want to locate a source and pre-order two for delivery next spring.
Try contacting somebody here to find out where to order-
https://www.ohiopawpaw.com/
I don't know if you are aware of this or not but pawpaws are pretty easy to grow from seed. If you're going to be buying some fruit to sample, why not try to propagate this plant yourself? Within about 5 years, a nursery bought sapling and a "home grown" pawpaw will both be the same size. The seedling tends to establish better than the trees that are barerooted or dug up out of the ground to be wrapped in burlap and sold. Those pawpaw folk at the above site are pretty good sports. I bet you could even track down somebody growing pawpaws in your state who might share seed with you. Just a thought. Go for the straight species, they taste just as good as the cultivars out there in my opinion and you don't need to worry about a bad graft.
https://www.fred.net/kathy/pawpaws.html
You'll want to plant a few as most are self-infertile. They're small trees anyway.
Why they aren't more available in grocery stores??? The skin seems to always splotchy looking when they're ripe. My guess is they simply don't present well no matter how they are presented. People tend to like perfect fruit and there simply aren't any pawpaws out there that could be placed in a fruit basket in the middle of one's kitchen table. I'm pretty sure it comes down to aesthetics. People would be rooting through the mound of pawpaws trying to find unblemished fruits and it "ain't gonna happen". With an increased interest in organically grown produce and a willingness on behalf of many buyers to accept blemished fruits, the pawpaw is beginning to make its way to some shelves. I saw it for sale in either TN or KY just recently. I once saw it for sale at a chain of grocery stores called Treasure Island. Supply and demand. Currently not enough demand to warrant making it available which to me is shocking because they taste really great.
My thoughts are that the best time to plant a pawpaw would be in spring so you might want to locate a source and pre-order two for delivery next spring.
Try contacting somebody here to find out where to order-
https://www.ohiopawpaw.com/
I don't know if you are aware of this or not but pawpaws are pretty easy to grow from seed. If you're going to be buying some fruit to sample, why not try to propagate this plant yourself? Within about 5 years, a nursery bought sapling and a "home grown" pawpaw will both be the same size. The seedling tends to establish better than the trees that are barerooted or dug up out of the ground to be wrapped in burlap and sold. Those pawpaw folk at the above site are pretty good sports. I bet you could even track down somebody growing pawpaws in your state who might share seed with you. Just a thought. Go for the straight species, they taste just as good as the cultivars out there in my opinion and you don't need to worry about a bad graft.