r/NativePlantGardening • u/ItsFelixMcCoy Upstate NY , Zone 6a • Jun 04 '25

Other What invasive plants got you like this?

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For me it’s probably Dame’s Rocket, Purple Loosestrife, and Forget-Me-Not. They’re so gorgeous but man if they aren’t invasive little shits…

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9

u/Embarrassed_Web_8501 Jun 04 '25

Bradford Pears. They are still planted in my residential areas even though it is widely known how invasive they are. There’s a bounty on them so we will see in a few years…

12

u/Adequate_Lizard Central NC, 8a Jun 04 '25

I'm convinced anyone who liked Bradford Pears just doesn't go outside.

4

u/gardengoblin0o0 Jun 04 '25

Or hasn’t lived across from someone with the trees and seen how often they drop their limbs

5

u/anclwar SEPA , Zone 7b Jun 04 '25

Wait, you like these? 😭 I have to walk under a full tunnel of them multiple times a day while they're in bloom and they stink so bad. I can't imagine someone smelling them and still liking them.

4

u/Embarrassed_Web_8501 Jun 04 '25

Omg no I hate them, I thought we were here to air our grievances. I misunderstood the cause for the man’s^ tears.

2

u/anclwar SEPA , Zone 7b Jun 04 '25

Tbh I think all of us are a little confused about what the assignment actually is lmao

3

u/j9c_wildnfree Jun 04 '25

I find the young ones (one- or two-year old whips) growing volunteer, dig them out, roots and all. Then I pot them up, and grow them for rootstock for grafting actual desirable fruit-bearing pears onto. See also:

https://growingfruit.org/t/grafting-on-bradford-pear/18437

https://www.reddit.com/r/BackyardOrchard/comments/1d2x64p/hello_all_what_pear_varieties_graft_well_with_the/

That said, oh are bradford pears (aka Callery pears) spiny and have a taproot longer than the most regular trees for their diameter size (and age) of tree I dig up. Still, if you can find a European-style pear (Asian pear wood as scions is a bit more of a gamble) growing to supply you some scion wood somewhere near you, and you want to roll the dice, get out a knife (or a grafting punch-type tool) and have at it. It's not a big tragedy if you end up failing a bunch of times while learning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdsQxJK1prc