What the heck are these stinky white trees? (neighborhood, distance)

[la_missourienne]

I'm fairly sure the stinky trees you are describing are Bradford pear. It's odd to me that they are so popular (yeah, pretty blossoms, ok)--they are rather fragile when strong winds come, so if there are any in your neighbors' yards, beware, especially if they are really large. It doesn't take a tornado to break them. I only know this because sooooo many of them broke in Springfield, MO in a very stormy year. Don't believe me? Here's an article that might help:
Bradford Pear Tree (To plant or not to plant)
And I'd take one of those flowery mess trees you talked about any day over a sweet gum--lawnmowers don't move those too well. Good luck with your landscaping

[smellykat]

Originally Posted by JustJulia

Heh, you know what I did? After I posted, I Googled "stinky white tree." I should have done that first. I think the trees are Bradford or Callery pear trees, an ornamental tree that is commonly used along streets and in business parks. The closeup of the flowers looks right, and the other sites I looked at all mentioned the smell. It's the flowers.

Callery Pear - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yes, they are Bradford pear trees! They have a strange, ashy smell in the spring when blooming which I find unpleasant too.

[At1WithNature]

Oh, I just smelled these. For anyone in the loop, there are a dozen of them at Clinton and Harrison. If a the tree family has an armpit, these little guys would be it.

[ihynes]

I was wondering what those trees are, too, not that I ever noticed the smell. Glad to find out.

[myrc60]

I've never noticed the smell either but I much prefer them over those trees that are quite plentiful up there that create those whirly fan things or the one's that those white cotton catepillar things come from.

[gardener34]

Those are magnolia trees - the pink ones. I love them. I like the star magnolias - not as messy with the petals being smaller.
I suspect the stinky ones are hawthornes - personally I think they smell like dirty laundry. but I am not sure they bloom now. the ones blooming now are mostly crabapples which smell good. And the bradford pears, which I have never detected a smell from.

[irish setter girl]

Magnolias smell wonderful, even when you bag them up with the lawnmower!! Bradford pears can have a strange smell but it goes away once the blooms are done. I am not a fan of the smell but had about 12 of these trees at a former home. For about 3 weeks I kept the windows shut due to the smell. They look lovely but some due stink. The soil may have something to do with it.

[At1WithNature]

What works well for removing those magnolia petals is a snow shovel, no joke! at least on the sidewalks and driveway it works wonders. I love magnolias too, partly why I am moving to the deep south. but magnolia trees smell wonderful. they bloom early in the year too, before the maples/oaks/elms/ashes/etc. start to come in. The only problem is they only last about a week, in full bloom, and you can barely appreciate their scent because it usually rains like half the week due to it being spring.

[irish setter girl]

My Magnolia this year was the best ever. The blooms stayed on pretty well despite all the rain we have had. There are some still on but I think they even look nice scattered on the ground under the tree. My neighbors have a beautiful flowering crab that is out right now and seeing that in the distance with my Magnolia is dreamy!

Originally Posted by At1WithNature

What works well for removing those magnolia petals is a snow shovel, no joke! at least on the sidewalks and driveway it works wonders. I love magnolias too, partly why I am moving to the deep south. but magnolia trees smell wonderful. they bloom early in the year too, before the maples/oaks/elms/ashes/etc. start to come in. The only problem is they only last about a week, in full bloom, and you can barely appreciate their scent because it usually rains like half the week due to it being spring.

[At1WithNature]

Originally Posted by irish setter girl

My Magnolia this year was the best ever. The blooms stayed on pretty well despite all the rain we have had. There are some still on but I think they even look nice scattered on the ground under the tree. My neighbors have a beautiful flowering crab that is out right now and seeing that in the distance with my Magnolia is dreamy!

take a picture! I have pics, i gotta get 'em up on here. problem is once I leave work, the last thing on my mind is city data.