Pear Tree
At Christmas time in 1984 we received a card from my brother-in-law that featured a partridge in a pear tree...
Inside the card was a small packet of seeds which I chilled in the fridge for a specified period of time, as directed by the card, and then planted and watered. Two seeds sprouted and grew, and one was large enough on June 10, 1985, to be planted out in the yard.
I know it was planted on that date because that's the day my son was born, and my husband drove home after a very long day and planted it in our new son's honor. Below is a picture of the tree and the son on his 21st birthday! Both grew straight and tall...
I did not know when I started the growing process that ornamental Bradford pear trees don't grow edible pears--what they grow instead are two-inch spikes that scratch and impale and generally threaten the health of anyone who comes too close to the tree... Like anyone who mows the lawn, for instance.
Consequently, it is clear to see each and every limb I have removed as the tree got taller and taller (see knots below)! Every year I would clip off water sprouts and downward-growing branches (did I mention that the two-inch spikes grow in all directions and eventually turn into new branches that need to be trimmed???) The constant trimming turned this tree into a sculptural oddity that was quite attractive, but it only distantly resembled what a Bradford pear SHOULD look like.
But what can I do? The history of the tree binds me to it, so each year I scratch my arms and hands and face and scalp as I maneuver between the major limbs, clipping and sawing away at the unwanted, spiky branches. At least I can mow under it now without injury!