It is that time of year - the time to get out and kill Bradford pears! I have people ask me all the time what they can plant to replace Bradford pear or plant instead of it. In this video I go over 3 native trees that are great replacements for the Bradford pear. Are there others - yes - but I wanted the video to be fairly short so I just picked 3.

Hope you find it useful and please let me know what you think about it!

Anthony

Likes incoming.

I just blasted this across all my beekeeping groups on FB.

I would like to see Black Locust on that list as there's not much prettier than locust in bloom. Plus great honey to boot.

I'm just learning about Bradford Pear in Arkansas. Pretty, but so invasive.

You don't realize how many there are out along roads and in thickets until you see them bloom in spring. Along all our major parkways and interstates here at every exit the ditches are lined with them.

I've always wondered if black locust was good for honey production.

I love black locust. They grow so very thick that some of them die off from overcrowding as they grow which gives you a little firewood as they grow too. My favorite firewood hands down.

Yes, a water white honey early in the season. Most areas lack enough of it to get a pure varietal though.

Your videos are informative and well done, but if I could give you a bit of advice, since I am also a person who talks with his hands and had to learn the hard way. It would be a good idea to work on what you are doing with your hands while you talk. There are probably some good instructional videos out there that would help.

Warrior - thanks for sharing it! It does help. We have quite a bit of black locust in our area and it along with tulip poplar are our main honey flows - usually at the same time. Makes for a really good tasting honey. I didn't include it on this video as I was trying to stick to yard type trees. Black locust tends to spread quickly so that is why I left it off. Around here if it gets very large it gets killed by locust borers so I tend to cut them around 8-10 inches diameter and let them resprout. Those younger trees also seem to flower more around here.

jbyrd63 - There is no shortage of them, and they are terrible for native plant communities and wildlife. I'll post a count of how many I kill on our 40 acres when I get done for the season.

Bernie - Thanks for the positive feedback on the content! As for my hand talking, I have been working on it. Believe it or not I am way better than I was 6 months ago. It is tough for me. I could be in a straight jacket and I would be bouncing everywhere trying to use my hands. I think its in my genes...