Care For A Cleveland Pear Tree

The Cleveland Select pear tree (Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer') is a cultivar of the Callery pear. This ornamental pear species with white blossoms was once incredibly popular in the U.S. as a street tree and a residential shade tree but has fallen out of favor because it has become invasive. Cleveland Select pear trees are hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 to 9.

Callery pear trees, which are native to Asia, were introduced in the U.S. in the early 1900s with the goal of combating a disease known as fireblight that affects European pear trees (Pyrus communis, zones 4 to 8).

The Bradford pear cultivar (Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford,' zones 5 to 9) was the first Callery pear cultivar developed in the U.S., and it became very popular.

In addition to its disease resistance, it was prized as an ornamental tree because of its fast growth rate and profusion of white flowers that appear in early spring. However, it had a weak branch structure that was prone to breakage, which led to the development of other cultivars.

Because the Bradford pear tree cannot produce seed with its own pollen, it was said to be sterile. However, the introduction of new Callery pear cultivars, like Cleveland Select, meant that these cultivars could cross-pollinate.

Though the Cleveland Select tree, which has a pyramidal shape and a mature height between 25 and 30 feet, was initially thought to be a fruitless replacement for the Bradford pear, both became invasive because of how quickly birds disperse their seeds.

Callery pear trees, like Cleveland Select, grow best in full sun and moist soil with a high humus content. They have the ability to grow in urban environments and can withstand periods of drought when established.

Cleveland Select pear trees require some pruning in the winter months in order to keep their shape and remove diseased or dead branches.

Lothar Spurzem

Callery pear trees are so invasive that they have been banned in Ohio, with other states opting to do the same. Some states also encourage residents to cut down these trees if they have them in their back or front yards and plant native trees instead.

Cleveland Select and other Callery pear cultivars have a tendency to resprout. Therefore, it is important to completely unroot these trees in order to eliminate them from the landscape.

If uprooting the tree is not possible, then herbicides are usually required to eliminate the root system.