Does The World Contain Too Many Mongolian Pear Trees?

Autumn has been mild and sunny, beautiful weather for being outside working, playing or relaxing; until today's foretaste of winter. Deciduous trees are showing off their red, orange and golden foliage displays, which glow in the sunshine.

The main street of my town is planted with Mongolian pears, which have been displaying their flamboyant autumn finery. These trees are planted in many other locations around the town. In early spring they are among the first trees to blossom, their mass of white blooms marking the end of a gloomy winter. They are quite hardy, tolerating both extreme cold and dry conditions. Why then, do I dislike them? Both their spring floral abundance and their fiery autumn foliage are very short-lived. But the same can be said of other trees that don't arouse the same distaste.

I think it is because they are so over-used. They are a 'safe' choice for street trees and avenues. Thus, a street in inland Victoria can look similar to a street anywhere else in the world that has these same trees planted. I would much prefer to see a mixture of the indigenous plants of the area used as street and garden trees so each location reflected its own character and a diversity of leaf and floral interest throughout the year. Such a mixture would also assist in conserving the biodiversity of the area.

I recently attended a talk where a botanist recommended that no one tree species should represent more than ten percent of the street plantings of an area. Does the world contain too many Mongolian pears?