Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
I have a client that planted a row of Pyrus Calleryana Chanticleer Ornamental Pear trees last winter along their back fence line.
I was asked this week if I could prune them at the appropriate time so that they can eventually form a hedge.
At the moment they are growing madly and are about 2 metres high (I understand they can grow to 10 metres plus) and are spaced at about 1.5 metre intervals.
Can anyone provide some advice as to how to care for these trees and get the result the client wants, that's assuming it's achievable?
Cheers ;)
Premier
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
Mate I haven't had any experience with them but there is a bit on the net. Found this on one site. Its Amercian but the general info is good. Do a Google serach and see what else is about. Seems the time to prune is spring before the new growth appears.
'Chanticleer' Callery Pear was selected Urban Tree of the Year for 2005 as determined by responses to an annual survey in arborist magazine City Trees . This magazine serves as the official Journal to The Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA) and readers select a new tree each year.
The 'Chanticleer' Callery Pear is a cultivar, partly selected because of its unique combination of good traits including great form and resistance to blight and limb breakage. Poor limb or weak branching has been a major problem with some of the pear's relatives including commonly planted Bradford pear trees . 'Chanticleer' pear was found during the 1950s on streets in Cleveland, Ohio and noted for it's desirable characteristics. The pear was commercially introduced in 1965 by famous Scanlon Nursery and calling it the 'Chanticleer' Pear. It has since become one of the most wanted trees by municipal arborists. The tree shows a white flowering magnificence in the spring and its plum fall color tinged with claret makes it a popular fall plant.
Pyrusis is the botanical name for all pears. They are greatly valued for their blossoms and delicious pears. Callery pears will not produce an edible fruit. Pears can be grown throughout the temperate regions where winters are not too severe and there is adequate moisture. Pears will not survive where temperatures fall lower than 20º F below zero (-28º C). They are widely cultivated commercially throughout much of the U.S.and Canada. In the warm and humid southern states, planting a pear should be limited to blight-resistant varieties (many of the callery pears are resistant).
The variety, named 'Chanticleer', is a beautiful tree that is grown ornamentally and reaches a height ranging from 30 to 50 feet. In the spring, clusters of 1-inch, white flowers cover the tree. Pea-sized, inedible fruits follow the flowers. The leaves of this tree turn shiny dark red to scarlet in the fall. This variety withstands pollution and can be grown along roads.
The 'Chanticleer' Pear is an upright-pyramidal tree that is much narrower than other ornamental pears. This tree makes a valuable addition to the landscape and is a good choice where lateral space to spread is limited. It has attractive flowers, foliage, and fall color. Bark is at first smooth with numerous lenticels, light brown to reddish-brown, then later turning grayish brown with shallow furrows. 'Chanticleer' is less susceptible to early freezes than other Pears. The 'Chanticleer' Pear is very adaptable to many different soils and it tolerates drought, heat, cold, and pollution. Plant in full sun.
Prune in winter or early spring. Because of its shape and branching struction, the crown is less prone to branch breakage with heavy winter snow. This variety of callery pear is resistant to fireblight. 'Chanticleer' Pear trees can live in any fertile soil, especially one that is loamy. They should be grown in a location with a sunny exposure. 'Chanticleer' can survive periods of drought, cold, and air pollution, but will not tolerate dry, waterlogged, or alkaline soil.
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
Sorry I'm pushing this to the top again...
Can anyone offer any advice in regards to Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees?
Cheers ;)
Premier
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
Thanks Bluey,
I had spotted this earlier after a Google search but I couldn't find anything in regards to pruning them to form a hedge.
My customer has been told by her garden centre that they do make a great hedge (Maybe not if you let them grow to their suggested full height of 30' plus :laughing: ) I have spoken to the garden centre concerned but they are not very convincing with their response.
So if anyone can advise if these ornamentals can be formed into a hedge I would like to know about it.
Cheers ;)
Premier
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
Hey Premier :wave-hi:
Will we get some before and after shots mate?
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
Pyrus Calleryana 'Chanticleer' Ornamental Pear.
A new cultivar in Australia, however it is grown extensively throughout Europe and North America.
In Europe it is the only Pyrus grown and planted extensively. Judging by its performance in those countries it is worth considering and should out perform the other Pyrus calleryana cultivars presently grown in Australia.
Description:
Tall conical tree fast growing tree,
with masses of pure white flowers in spring.
Large bright green foliage, late autumn | winter foliage, bright yellow through to oranges and reds.
However there is no guarantee of these colors in mild climates.
click to enlarge
Height: Up to 15m.
Landscape Uses: Good street tree, ideal screen tree, that can be pruned into a pleached hedge or let grow naturally as it has a narrow conical habit. Tendency to hold on to its leaves well into winter makes it is an ideal screen tree.
Unique Characteristics: Vigorous. Tolerates wide variety of soils.
Fire blight resistant. Fast growing. Holds foliage until winter.
References: 'The Garden Tree', Alan Mitchell and Allen Coombes, Seven Dials, 1999. 'Garden Trees', Eyewitness Garden Handbooks, Dorling Kindersley, 1996. 'The Hillier Gardener's Guide to Trees and Shrubs', John Kelly, David and Charles, 1999
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
Hi Premier, the only thing that I could find about these ornamental pears is that they make a good pleached hedge.
Description:
Tall conical tree fast growing tree,
with masses of pure white flowers in spring.
Large bright green foliage, late autumn | winter foliage, bright yellow through to oranges and reds.
However there is no guarantee of these colors in mild climates.
Height: Up to 15m.
Landscape Uses: Good street tree, ideal screen tree, that can be pruned into a pleached hedge or let grow naturally as it has a narrow conical habit. Tendency to hold on to its leaves well into winter makes it is an ideal screen tree.
Unique Characteristics: Vigorous. Tolerates wide variety of soils.
Fire blight resistant. Fast growing. Holds foliage until winter.
References: 'The Garden Tree', Alan Mitchell and Allen Coombes, Seven Dials, 1999. 'Garden Trees', Eyewitness Garden Handbooks, Dorling Kindersley, 1996. 'The Hillier Gardener's Guide to Trees and Shrubs', John Kelly, David and Charles, 1999.
Pleached Hedging:
• Plant trees 5 feet apart leaving enough access around them for pruning back and front.
• You can make a pruning guide out of stakes and jute twine or bamboo sticks to help with the shaping of your trees. Affix parallel rows of jute (or bamboo sticks) to vertical garden stakes and train tree branches along the twine, prune every spring and again when the plant seems to demand it for neatness.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...pleaching1.jpg
• Keep the lower trunk to a single stem and continue to cut off any little sprouts.
• When your trees get to the height you want shear off the top and continue to shape laterally.
• Remove the form if you’ve used one when tree branches connect one to the other and have formed a dense network.
http://www.gardeninglife.ca/articles...leached-hedge/
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
Ha! Ian you hit on the same site as me but were about 4 minutes quicker to post....snap!
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
premier basically any tree or shrub can be grown as a hedge it's just a matter of pruning lightly to maintain the shape
joanne i was going to type this at the end of my post glad i didn't otherwise you would have finished before me lol :)
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
Quote:
Originally Posted by ian
premier basically any tree or shrub can be grown as a hedge it's just a matter of pruning lightly to maintain the shape
joanne i was going to type this at the end of my post glad i didn't otherwise you would have finished before me lol :)
Yeah well I just had to show off and include a picture didn't I, meant I had to upload it to Photobucket or I'd have beat ya for sure. ;frosty; :p :laughing:
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
joanne if it was up to me i would always be happy to let you finish before me
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
Thanks Joanne & Ian, I appreciate your help.
Pleached hedging is a new one on me...you learn something new every day here :cool:
So now I know the theory I just have to wait out the time to put it into practise.
Cheers ;)
Premier
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
Quote:
Originally Posted by Premier
Thanks Joanne & Ian, I appreciate your help.
Pleached hedging is a new one on me...you learn something new every day here :cool:
So now I know the theory I just have to wait out the time to put it into practise.
Cheers ;)
Premier
Me to Premier and it has got me thinking. Imagine a border along a fence of mandarin trees. Evergreen, nice on the eye and plenty of fruit to boot. As you said you learn something all the time here. I am glad I found this forum :clap:
Re: Pruning Ornamental Pear Trees
The growth rate of these trees is impressive, at the moment they seem to gain a foot or two between fortnightly visits, the leaves are a vivid green...certainly very pleasant to look at :cool:
I'm onsite next week so I will grab a few piccies so you can see what I have got to work with.
Cheers ;)
Premier