So we're building an outdoor kitchen and the landscape architect was over today discussing what plants and trees they plan on planting. He's planning to put in (4) Bradford Pear trees to give the patio structure some shade. After he left, I googled to see what they looked like and there was stuff that came up about their smell, and thus, I saw many people advising not to plant them...does the OB have any experience with these? Are the smells really that bad? Can you suggest a suitable replacement tree if warranted?

They do have a funny smell when they bloom in the spring. It doesn't smell good.

They drop their leaves in the fall, but the leaves turn yellow or orange, which is cool if you're into that sort of thing.

You cannot grow grass under most bradford pear trees. Just too much shade.

They need to be pruned at least once every year or two.

The wood is extremely soft, so if you get a big storm in 20 years, you'll likely lose significant portions of the tree.

Cheap garbage trees.

BPTs suck. The first time you have a decent gust of wing come through, atleast one of your trees will look like this..........

http://www.businessinsider.com/bradford-pear-tree-semen-sex-smell-2013-4

My undergrad school had these trees lining the main pathway in school. Every spring, it was horrendous. Horrendous.

Please OP, think of the children.

Very popular in landscaping because they transplant well, grow fast and provide decent shade. But not my favorite tree.

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Very popular in landscaping because they transplant well, grow fast and provide decent shade

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That's basically what he said...with the goal being shade, what would the OB recommend, keeping these other things in mind...I'm in the BCS area

Smell is pungent during flowering. Softer wood and I think the amount of leaves may overload the branch strength during storms at times.

Also, something to think about having these around a patio is that they do drop their little fruit (actually resembles a berry or nut) and if you are walking around on the patio barefoot, it hurts to step on those things. My Dad has one over his patio and is constantly out there with a blower blowing the fallen fruit off the patio.

You should consider the Cleveland pear, which is a hybrid of the Bradford that is stronger/hardier than the Bradford. All the positives of the Bradford, with none of the negatives.

Japanese Pistachio does well in the north Texas area. Fast grower, great shade tree and has been a big seller here for years. Round canopy and really pretty in the fall. No fruit either.

I have a Cleveland pear (was in place when I bought). It does seem to be much less prone to breakage. I still don't love it, but I'm not running out to cut it down either. It's made it through some pretty good storms, both spring thunderstorms and ice storms with minimal damage. It puts on heavy foliage and shades the NW corner of my house.

Does the Cleveland smell too? I'll check out the Japanese Pistachio

we have them in our backyard at my parents' house. They are beautiful trees and huge. I've never noticed the smell.

I have one in my backyard, but the bark is cracking. I may salvage it.

Doesn't smell the way a Bradford does. There is a little odor, but not a lot.

Do Not Plant.

I have one in my front yard and can't stand it. The smell has nothing to do with it. All of the other negatives mentioned above do.

I planted Mexican feather grass around it in a raised bed to cover the ugly exposed roots and dirt patch where grass will not grow due to shade. A neighbor who is really into plants comes over and tells me that what I'm doing will suffocate the tree and kill it. My response "That's what I was hoping for" left him speechless.

Awful trees!!

I agree with all the do not plant group. There are way too many good native trees available that will be much better in the long run. Get recommendations from good tree folks in your area and make species selection that suits your needs. Might spend a little more up front but it will be very worth it over time.

Homebuilders loved them in the 90s because they were cheap and grew fast. Today they are forbidden in just about every set of ccrs because they are trash trees

Hate them for all the reasons listed above. Plant some red oaks. They grow fast and will provide great shade in just a couple of years.

I would not plant them. I just moved from northern Virginia where the subdivision in which I lived had Bradford Pears everywhere. The smell when they are in bloom is not great and I saw quite a few uprooted by the Derecho we had in 2013 and other storms. The most bothersome thing about them was how susceptible they are to fire blight. It is hard to treat and eventually kills the tree.

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/bacterial-spots/fireblight.aspx

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Japanese Pistachio does well in the north Texas area

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Actually, they are Chinese Pistachio...very nice trees with great fall color.

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Japanese Pistachio does well in the north Texas area

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Actually, they are Chinese Pistachio...very nice trees with great fall color.

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Just my personal opinion but I would avoid planting ANYTHING not native to the area. There are a lot of good options (oak) that are native.

Not that your decision to/not to plant a Chinese pistachio is going to affect a lot, but I loathe non-natives and spend a butt load of my chainsaw time trying to stop them from over taking my property.

I've said it before on here, and it's just my opinion, but you should be required to remove 10 Chinaberry, tallow, or ligustrums before being allowed to plant a non-native ornamental.

Run....run from the Bradford pear.....

Bradford pears

Plant an oak. Water the hell out of it.

They suck

Turrible. They hit about 20 years old and then start to fall apart in large pieces.

I planted two bur oaks in my front yard 10 years ago. A few months later the guy across the street planted two Bradford pears.

He thinks my trees look better.

Agree with everything negative said above about the Bradford Pears. I used to live in Huntsville, AL and those awful things were everywhere. They do stink when they bloom (I thought they smelled like used cooking oil, but others thought they smelled like a certain body fluid). They do grow fast and can get quite large, but we had a strong wind/rain storm come through, and all of my neighbors lost their trees. The entire trees didn't fall, but enough of the branches broke off that the entire trees had to be removed. Unfortunately, the one in my yard didn't fall because it was still too small. The problems with the branches breaking from wind/rain/ice were so bad that the city removed many large trees, even if they were not damaged, just to prevent problems in future storms. This is also the only tree/plant I have ever been allergic to. Never had any allergies until I moved to north AL. After a couple of years, just walking near one of these trees when it was in bloom made my sinuses seize up.

How far away will the trees be planted from the patio?

Shumard red oaks are long lived & fast growing, though they can get oak wilt.

Cedar Elms are nice and have a relatively narrow canopy which is useful in thight spaces.

Monterey & Chinquapin Oaks are also some of my favorites.

Bur Oak & Mexican Sycamore are nice, but have dense shade & get huge. You'll be raking leaves for days.

Lacebark Elms would be another excellent choice.

As others have mentioned, stay away from Bradford Pears & Chinese Pistache.