Bluegrass Garden Insights

05/03/2026

Frost in City Cemetery high on hilltop.

04/15/2026

04/07/2026

🌸 Spring has arrived in Ohio and with it comes a frustrating reminder: those beautiful white flowering trees popping up across the state are actually illegal to plant or sell, and they smell absolutely terrible. The Callery Pear tree, once a popular ornamental choice for homeowners and landscapers, has been banned in Ohio since January 1, 2023, due to its aggressive invasiveness. The tree produces densely clustered white flowers that many describe as smelling like rotting fish, followed by tiny hard pears in the fall that birds eat and spread across the landscape, allowing the tree to take over natural areas and crowd out native species. If you spot one on your property, wildlife officials say small plants can be pulled or dug out, but warn that cutting alone is not enough since the tree will resprout aggressively without chemical herbicide treatment.

11/14/2025