Pretty excited about some trees coming down tomorrow. (grown, fertilizer, grass)

[CGab]

Originally Posted by Zoisite

Not for me they aren't. Still upside down.

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Same here. I actual think they look beautiful, but I like the sun so if I had a big tree like that in my backyard, especially one that was damaging parts of my home I would cut it does too.

[bg7]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

Those flowering pears are pretty awful trees, and I cringe everytime I see someone plant a new one. I can't really tell what the shrubs are behind them.

They are very popular with native wildlife. A lot of food between their buds, petals and fruits. And the sapsuckers love them to. More popular and environmentally appropriate than many purely ornamental trees. Mind you, the blossom definitely has an aroma that doesn't please.


As for their branches, its generally simply lopping off horizontal boughs is all that's needed.


Id rather see a forest of Bradford pears than one more goddarn leylandii

[2 rainbows]

Originally Posted by Zoisite

Not for me they aren't. Still upside down.

Well, just clicked on them twice each &
they do turn right side up. - Wonder what they will replace them with... soo many wonderful shrubs to choose from.
Like Proven Winners http://springmeadownursery.com/conte...talog_2016.pdf
tho that's wholesale, you can see other catalogues for ideas...

[gentlearts]

Ok, so here's something I learned today. There was mistletoe growing on the tree branches. I always thought that it was just free floating, sort of like Spanish moss, but if you can see in the picture, it attaches to the tree, and looks just as if it were growing out of the tree.

[gentlearts]

This is what our bushes are. The tree guy says their red tip, which I have heard are junk bushes. I am hoping they are not. Anyway, they grow well in this climate.

[movinon]

That looks like photinia fraseri. They make great hedges and are super fast-growing. They can get very tall very fast. Or you can trim them to be a tree. I've done both. Here's a link to an article about them. I've had good luck with them.

Care of Photinia Fraseri Shrubs | Home Guides | SF Gate

Now you've inspired me to get rid of my two enormous Bradford Pears. I'd love to not have to deal with those hateful leaves every fall. Not to mention the messy "pears" themselves. And that smell! Just have to decide what to replace them with as I need shade on that side of the yard.

Do you mind sharing what the cost was to remove them? Did you have the stumps ground out? I'm in Northern California, so I expect there will be regional differences in cost but it will give me a ballpark.

Thanks in advance.

[gentlearts]

Two fully mature trees with lots of branches and tons of big roots, $1050. including stump grinding. That also includes a 3rd much smaller tree which I think is costing $100. Not bad, considering there have been 6 guys working all day, a skid steer, a stump grinder and a wood chipper. DH isn't too thrilled with the way the yard is full of ruts and there are still some roots left, but hopefully they will attempt to fix this.

I've been reading up on the photinia, and I think, instead, they are a different but similar plant. Photinia are extremely prone to disease here, so I think if that is what they were, they would not have lasted 25 years.

[gentlearts]

Cleyera is what I think the bushes are.

[TwinbrookNine]

New Zealand?

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by gentlearts

Tomorrow we are having two big Bradford Pears taken out of the back yard. Twice now, huge limbs have fallen and damaged the nearby fences. They are both riddled with woodpecker holes and we fear that the next big storm will be the one that takes out the neighbor's fence, once and for all.

We have an understory of some evergreen bushes that I hope will flourish with the extra light they will get. We look forward to the positive changes in the yard.

Also hoping nothing will have started building nests yet. We are leaving a big oak tree, so hopefully the birds and squirrels will just move over.

Before...

I hate those trees! Their limbs fall off, they don't take ice well, and sometimes the trees split in two when it ices. I also don't care for the shape. They look good against office buildings in confined areas, esp. for the few weeks they bloom. But not for residences.