They are the hardiest of the ornamental pears, thriving in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 3 through 9.Growers have worked diligently to develop stronger and more practical solutions since the 1980s since problems with the "Bradford" were first recognized. You can control these bugs by applying a horticultural oil spray as directed after buds have formed.Prune out all diseased limbs, branches and leaves when you first notice them to help stop the spread of any kind of pear disease or insect, and sterilize your pruning shears with rubbing alcohol to minimize the spread of the disease or pest.Susan Lundman began writing about her love of gardening and landscape design after working for 20 years at a nonprofit agency. Your pear crop may also be affected with misshapen fruit that has powdery sections. They were highly successful at first, but their weaknesses became clear within decades. It is common for Bradford pears to die due to issues such as these after only 15 or 25 years.Perhaps the second most planted ornamental pear is the "Manchurian" (Pyrus ussuriensis), also referred to as the Chinese pear. Trees should be planted at least their widths' measurements from foundations, sidewalks and driveways. Then the insects appear near where the fruit forms, on new growth and on the top and undersides of the leaves, feeding on the tree's sap.

Ornamental pears for year-long interest The Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) is a medium-sized deciduous tree available in a number of forms to suit everyday planting situations. Each of these alternatives has a distinctive shape, ranging from the thin and tall "Capital" to the wide and pyramid shaped "Aristocrat." "Burgundy Snow" (Pyrus calleryana "Burgundy Snow"), "Chanticleer" (Pyrus calleryana "Chanticleer"), "Southworth Dancer" (Pyrus betulaefolia), "Aristocrat" (Pyrus calleryana "Aristocrat"), "Capitol" (Pyrus calleryana "Capital") and "Redspire" (Pyrus calleryana "Redspire") are all cultivars that bloom with the same vigor of the "Bradford," but have much stronger root and branch systems. Some formerly popular choices are waning as new, stronger and more home garden-compatible varieties make their way into the market.The "Bradford" pear tree (Pyrus calleryana) was once the golden child of ornamental trees.

Spacing Is Key There are many cultivars of flowering ornamental pears, but an average height is 30 feet by 25 feet wide.

Plant disease-resistant pear varieties. Keep the disease at bay with good growing practices, removing diseased leaves and stems, and using a fungicide as directed if you can't control the disease by removing diseased leaves.Coddling moths and borers damage the pear's bark and fruit, but the pear psylla, a small cicada-like insect causes a black sooty substance on the leaves and eventually causes the leaves to die and drop off.

This lovely little pear tree is not completely free of problems. Fixing pear tree problems involving pear psylla involves using dormant oil sprays during the tree’s dormancy.

It will commonly develop suckers, small branchlike roots, along the bottom of the trunk. All ornamental pear trees from the Pyrus calleryana species grow best in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9. Properly spacing your ornamental pear tree will help to prevent some of these problems.

When most people picture an ornamental pear, this is the cultivar that comes to mind.

Since planting the "Bradford" is now prohibited in some areas, finding a good alternative with strong roots is necessary.

Stay away from susceptible varieties such as D’Anjou (Pyrus communis Anjou’), 'Bosc' (Pyrus communis 'Bosc') and ‘Bartlett’ (Pyrus communis ‘Bartlett’).Fungus of one sort or another can cause spots on leaves that may eventually kill the leaf itself, but not the pear tree.

You can deal with other pear problems more easily.

Lundman belongs to numerous gardening groups, tends her home garden on 2/3 acre and volunteers with professional horticulturists at a 180 acre public garden where she lives on Bainbridge Island in Washington State. Aristocrat pear trees suffer from a few issues based on the way they grow. You can deal with other pear problems more easily. Because of their tendency to grow up rather than out, the roots can also be prone to girdling, which is circling over one another.

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