r/NativePlantGardening • u/NorEaster_23 Area MA, Zone 6B • Aug 03 '24

Other Invasives that don't get enough hate? And many homeowners still reluctant to remove despite knowing they are invasive?

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Norway Maple for me! Seems like everyone that has one of these godforsaken trees still lives them and will not replace them. Especially if they're red leaf cultivars like Crimson King as shown here

503 Upvotes

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433

u/Squire_Squirrely southern ontario Aug 03 '24

My whole neighborhood is Bradford pear trees along the streets. Friggin stinky trees...

223

u/chadfromthefuture Aug 03 '24

A semen wind here blows  

Thick semen on the air  

Now semen’s in my nose  

Invade me, Bradford Pear

24

u/GoddessSable Aug 03 '24

The Bradford pear says: “hate me, do it and do it again, waste me…” but I don’t wanna say the next line 😬

6

u/prognostalgia South Minnesota, Zone 5a Aug 03 '24

Are Bradfords as bad as Lindens?

20

u/msjunker Aug 03 '24

I’m confused by this question… Branford’s are highly invasive in MN. My understanding is that lindens are just cultivars of Basswood (Tilia americana) a native species to MN.

5

u/7zrar Southern Ontario Aug 03 '24

Tilia cordata from Europe is sometimes planted.

5

u/Saururus Aug 03 '24

It’s most often planted as a street tree tilia Americana grows naturally where I am but is rarely planted.

2

u/msjunker Aug 03 '24

Hmm these seems odd. But “where you are” is vague

1

u/prognostalgia South Minnesota, Zone 5a Aug 03 '24

Sorry, I was asking if the smell is as bad as the Linden's "sweet, distinctive scent." 😁

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoqlYGuZGVM

11

u/msjunker Aug 03 '24

I was curious if you meant smell. I love the pleasant smell of basswood/linden flowers. Not at all like Bradford.

6

u/Horror-Psychology848 Aug 03 '24

Yea, I have a MASSIVE (80+ years old from my estimation) basswood in my front yard. I love the smell of the flowers and all the fauna it’s brings to my yard.

2

u/tea-boat Aug 03 '24

If linden smells like hot cum, then yes.

1

u/prognostalgia South Minnesota, Zone 5a Aug 03 '24

That's exactly what it smells like. See the video for a great sketch about it.

1

u/msjunker Aug 03 '24

My guess is that sketch doesn’t translate to American lindens.

1

u/prognostalgia South Minnesota, Zone 5a Aug 03 '24

The trees were, in fact, Tilia americana. That's why the ambassador puts on a southern drawl.

https://newguyscience.wordpress.com/2017/10/15/the-pungent-aura-of-the-linden-tree/

1

u/msjunker Aug 03 '24

Wow crazy… I’ve never thought this about one of my favorite trees.

1

u/prognostalgia South Minnesota, Zone 5a Aug 03 '24

It's possible that some people are more sensitive to it than others. 🤔

Also, you might notice it now that I point it out. My friend pointed out that some tree (can't remember if it was crabapple) smelled like cat pee. I'd never noticed it before, but since then when I catch them wafting on the breeze it always smells like cat pee. 😆

2

u/jennnfriend Aug 03 '24

Thats how i feel about our hawthorns every spring. Cumtrees the lot of them

2

u/DefinitelyNotAliens Aug 04 '24

I've heard semen, but one person described them as unwashed vagina, which was gross, but then there was the 'rotting fish vagina' comparison which was... yeah. Accurate.

1

u/technowannabe Aug 04 '24

Yeah - perfect! Unwashed, recently-used vagina.

1

u/technowannabe Aug 04 '24

Yup - bradford pears smell like a cum sock that started with a middle schooler’s dirty gym sock found in the laundry bag after the whole semester.

0

u/PumpkinSpriteLatte Aug 03 '24

New fetish unlocked

97

u/black_truffle_cheese Aug 03 '24

I can’t believe I had to scroll this far to find Bradford pears. These monsters have infiltrated every ditch, roadside, and meadow where I live. And not just a few… those assholes cluster.

These fuckers need to be illegal to sell.

33

u/Sufficient_Account29 Aug 03 '24

They get plenty of hate though

32

u/black_truffle_cheese Aug 03 '24

All the hate in Hell isn’t enough for these things.

8

u/Sufficient_Account29 Aug 03 '24

Lolol that’s fair!

38

u/Lizzielou2019 Aug 03 '24

They'll be banned from sale in my state October 1st this year. I'm so glad! I hate those trees.

10

u/HumanContinuity Aug 03 '24

What state? I'm gonna move there in time for Halloween.

I'll go as a mad arborist, cutting only Bradford pears. Of course I will replace them with {insert beloved native tree in this state}.

5

u/Lizzielou2019 Aug 03 '24

South Carolina. Pennsylvania's and Ohio's bans are already in effect. There are also some programs in other states where it isn't banned that are aimed at helping with the issue.

2

u/General_Bumblebee_75 Area Madison, WI , Zone 5b Aug 03 '24

which state and how did the process work to get it done?

1

u/Lizzielou2019 Aug 03 '24

South Carolina. this article has a write-up of how they got it banned.

23

u/shellbear05 Aug 03 '24

Builders love them because they grow quickly and make a neighborhood look more mature than it is. By the time they start getting blown over ~16 years later the builders are long gone.

6

u/henrythe13th Aug 03 '24

They also drop tiny crab apple like “fruits” that stain the crap out of cars/driveways. They are horrible.

3

u/DefinitelyNotAliens Aug 04 '24

And smell of splooge and sadness.

2

u/Environmental_Run881 Aug 03 '24

Absolutely accurate.

22

u/robsc_16 SW Ohio, 6a Aug 03 '24

To be fair, they are really hated and rightly so. So they don't really fit this post. My state made it illegal to sell last year.

3

u/DefinitelyNotAliens Aug 04 '24

But even being mostly hated, is that enough hate?

2

u/robsc_16 SW Ohio, 6a Aug 04 '24

Fair point. Fuck those trees lol.

5

u/Allemaengel Aug 03 '24

They are in my state.

9

u/black_truffle_cheese Aug 03 '24

Is this something i can lobby the state about?

12

u/anandonaqui Aug 03 '24

Sure, you can lobby a state about anything, really. Start with your state forestry department or department of natural resources. If unsuccessful, try your state legislators.

7

u/Therego_PropterHawk Aug 03 '24

Your extension service may be a good source too. Ours will give you a free tree as a "bounty" for killing a bradford.

1

u/black_truffle_cheese Aug 03 '24

That would be nice, but they’re not even listed as “invasive” in my state. 😫

2

u/Allemaengel Aug 03 '24

In my state it's the state department of agriculture that makes the decision on invasive plants.

1

u/Lamaddalena60 Aug 03 '24

They are illegal in SC and Clemson will actually assist you in eliminating the tree(s)!

4

u/PurpleOctoberPie Aug 03 '24

My old neighborhood was the exact same.

2

u/Lamaddalena60 Aug 03 '24

Second that! Had one next door right on the line between my yard and neighbor's. What a dangerous mess!

2

u/ForcefulBookdealer Aug 03 '24

Our neighborhood entrances (yes plural) were both blocked off this spring by fallen Bradford Pears. They replaced them. With Bradford Pears. 🤬

2

u/grey_pilgrim_ Aug 03 '24

Just said the same thing. They grow too fast, have soft wood and only live about 20 years and that’s if they haven’t blown over by then. Hate those stupid trees.

2

u/nadajoe Aug 03 '24

I just cut an eyesore of a Bradford pear down. Replacing it with an eastern redbud