May 2006
 Beautiful, "Tough" Tree
Callery Pear Tree Fill Out Clifton Landscape Beyond Their Appearence

By Marc Beechuk
QueenCityForum.com Magazine staff writer
Photos by Marc Beechuk

One of the biggest compliments in landscape design is to create a product that people enjoy, but may never ask or even think; how was this designed? While we may all wonder how trees naturally grew ten feet apart, nicely along the sidewalks, we may still ask if there was possibly some thought put into the whole matter.

In the Clifton Heights community you will find a magnificent spread of Callery Pear trees that are hitting their bloom as spring returns to Cincinnati this week. At their peak, the white flowers of the trees blanket the business district around Calhoun and McMillan streets. The site of these white blossoms and the warmth of the sun seem to startle people from their apartments and homes every April.

Callery Pear Tree Blossom

  

In the Clifton Heights community you will find a magnificent spread of Callery Pear trees that are hitting their bloom as spring returns to Cincinnati this week. At their peak, the white flowers of the trees blanket the business district around Calhoun and McMillan streets. The site of these white blossoms and the warmth of the sun seem to startle people from their apartments and homes every April.

The beauty of these natural neighbors is only one of the tree’s benefits to the many communities in which it lives. Callery Pear’s happen to be one of the “tough” trees that Cincinnati ’s Urban Foresters will use in the city. The tree stands up to pollution well, can thrive on air that few trees can bear and has flexibility when it comes to the soil used for planting.

Urban fabrics have been dotted with vegetation throughout history, but it was the onset of heavy automobile traffic that first put pedestrians at risk. Trees of numerous varieties have proven to be great buffers for pedestrians. These woody stalwarts also contribute to the streetscape by providing shade and aesthetic highlights. The multi-functionality of such a simple object makes them integral to the pavement of many an urban center.

The Callery Pear comes with some drawbacks, the first and most important is that this tree is not native to the region. This exotically beautiful tree is native to Asia and becomes even more of a problem when we realize that it propagates at a quick pace. Due to its tenure and use it has become naturalized, but that does not solve all the problems of dealing with foreign vegetation. It sounds odd, but one issue we face is a lack of pests that attack this tree in Cincinnati. You could compare the spread of Callery Pear’s to that of white-tailed deer in the area. Now all we need is a couple of weeks in the fall to run around hacking down the beauties, by permit of course.

LilyPad USA

Wireless Sponsor of QueenCityForum.com Magazine

 

Other problems associated with the tree are its lack of vitality, strength and durability. Most experts give the tress 25-40 years at best and that is a rather stout timeline for a tree. Other people have commented on the Callery Pear’s inability to withstand high winds, heavy rains and snows. Firsthand experience shows us that 70 mile an hour winds on April 2 nd had no effect on the trees in the Clifton Heights Community. There has also been very little damage to the trees in this area due to wind or that wet, heavy snow we are blessed with.

The foreign nature of the Callery Pear is the only problem that alarms me in terms of their use around Cincinnati. The pure white splendor of the blossoms set upon the backdrop of historic buildings around town shows how life returns to the city annually. This contrast and the feeling it evokes in many residents is well worth the drawbacks that such a tantalizing specimen provides to the region.

 

 

 

Links

  • For archives of any QCF Magazine contributor, just type their name into the "QueenCityForum" Google search
  • For search on any of the topics from this column, enter keywords into the "www" Google search