{"title":"Ash Trees","description":"\u003cp\u003eCheck your local weed list before you choose an ash. Several Fraxinus, and in particular Fraxinus angustifolia and the Claret Ash forms grown from it, are recorded environmental weeds in Victoria, South Australia and parts of inland NSW and the ACT, where winged seed carries into creek lines and remnant bushland and germinates in quantity. Some councils restrict or discourage planting them. Grafting alters the trunk and crown of a tree, not its flowering, so a grafted Claret Ash still sets seed and is no answer to that problem. Gardens near bushland or a watercourse are better served by the seedless Green Ash clones described below.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere the species is not a concern locally, ash remain useful shade trees. They gain height quickly for deciduous trees, carry a crown 10 to 15 metres across within about fifteen years, and drop cleanly in autumn so winter sun reaches the house again. Colour depends on where you garden. Cool autumn nights in the tablelands and the southern states bring out the burgundy and gold, while coastal Queensland gardens get muted tones and a later, more drawn-out leaf fall.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/fraxinus-angustifolia-raywood-claret-ash\"\u003eClaret Ash\u003c\/a\u003e is the familiar burgundy form, stocked from 250mm pots and bare root stock through to 200L, from $42.95, and the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fraxinus-angustifolia-raywood-claret-ash-grafted\"\u003egrafted Claret Ash\u003c\/a\u003e gives a matched trunk and crown for row planting, from $139 in sizes to 75L. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fraxinus-excelsior-aurea-golden-ash\"\u003eGolden Ash\u003c\/a\u003e turns clear yellow and holds yellow-toned young wood through winter against dark brick or fencing, with stock to 1000L. Both of those set seed. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fraxinus-pennsylvanica-urbdell-urbanite\"\u003eGreen Ash Urbanite\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fraxinus-pennsylvanica-cimmzam-cimmaron\"\u003eGreen Ash Cimmaron\u003c\/a\u003e are male, effectively seedless street-tree clones with upright, even crowns, and Urbanite runs to 1500L for scale on planting day. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fraxinus-ornus\"\u003eManna Ash\u003c\/a\u003e stays smaller and carries creamy flower plumes in spring. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fraxinus-velutina\"\u003eArizona Ash\u003c\/a\u003e copes with hot dry inland conditions, though it too fruits. In frost-free coastal and subtropical gardens \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fraxinus-griffithii-evergreen-ash\"\u003eEvergreen Ash\u003c\/a\u003e keeps its leaves year round and screens rather than shades, and it has begun self-seeding in parts of south-east Queensland.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGive an ash full sun and room. These are surface-rooting, thirsty trees, and one sited a few metres from a slab, a driveway edge, a septic trench or an old clay sewer line will find that moisture and lift or block it. Allow eight metres of clearance from structures and services, since at year fifteen the remedy is removal rather than pruning. Keep water up for the first two summers, stake only until the roots take hold, and shape for structure while the wood is young.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor autumn colour on a smaller block, compare \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/maples\"\u003eMaples\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/liquidambar\"\u003eLiquidambar\u003c\/a\u003e, or \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/feature-trees\"\u003eFeature Trees\u003c\/a\u003e for courtyard-scale options. \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/advanced-trees\"\u003eAdvanced Trees\u003c\/a\u003e carries the larger containers across the range.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery order ships farm-direct with flat $99 delivery across QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA, a $399 minimum order, and the 30-Day Healthy Plant Guarantee.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"fraxinus-americana-autumn-applause","title":"White Ash - Fraxinus americana Autumn Applause","description":"\u003cp\u003eMost Australian ash plantings are claret ash or golden ash, and this is neither. Autumn Applause is a white ash, Fraxinus americana, selected as a male, seedless clone. That last detail matters more here than it does overseas: ash has naturalised along creek lines in parts of Victoria and the tablelands, and a tree that sets no seed sidesteps the argument entirely.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe crown is neat and oval, denser and more upright than a seedling ash, and it holds a straight central leader with very little formative work, which is why it ends up in verge, carpark and parkland planting. Autumn colour is the drawcard, deep maroon and purple bronze rather than yellow, and the compound leaves drop cleanly over a short window instead of dribbling down for weeks. It wants full sun and a deep soil it can root into; it sulks in compacted clay that stays wet after rain, and colour is always better on a site that gets cold nights. Offered here as a 100 litre tree with real structure already built.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 100L, at $649.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/best-trees-for-small-backyards-australia\"\u003echoosing a tree for a small backyard\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"100L","offer_id":64308890632561,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/3lOZr8NRR9TOnNeyNwyCS_MejHTdgQ.jpg?v=1787628149"},{"product_id":"fraxinus-angustifolia-raywood-claret-ash-grafted","title":"Claret Ash - Fraxinus angustifolia raywood Grafted","description":"\u003cp\u003eClaret ash is a big, fast filling deciduous shade tree with fine pinnate foliage, and in a cool autumn the whole crown turns the deep wine purple that gave it the name. That colour is why it was planted so heavily through Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide, and it is conditional: in warm coastal gardens the display is often muted or arrives very late.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo practical warnings matter more than any description of the autumn show. Raywood forms tight, narrow branch unions with included bark, and mature trees have a well documented habit of shedding limbs, so formative pruning in the early years to build wide angled scaffold branches is genuinely important work. It is also prone to dieback where roots are stressed by drought, compaction or shallow soil over rock.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull sun, moderate water, moderate to fast growth. Give it a large open site well clear of buildings, paving and drainage lines, and keep mulch off the graft union. Semi advanced and advanced stock is available up to 75L. Flat $99 delivery applies across QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA on orders over $399.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 6 sizes, from 300mm up to 75L, priced from $139.00 to $449.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/best-trees-for-small-backyards-australia\"\u003echoosing a tree for a small backyard\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"500mm","offer_id":64308891058545,"sku":null,"price":329.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"330mm Deep","offer_id":64308891091313,"sku":null,"price":149.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45L","offer_id":64308891124081,"sku":null,"price":279.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64308891189617,"sku":null,"price":139.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"75L","offer_id":64308891222385,"sku":null,"price":449.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64308891255153,"sku":null,"price":199.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"35L","offer_id":64446147625329,"sku":null,"price":179.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/7EphdHoXZyssQNKBlfM75_PHMAvzkd.jpg?v=1787628149"},{"product_id":"fraxinus-pennsylvanica-lednaw-aerial","title":"Green Ash - Fraxinus pennsylvanica Lednaw Aerial","description":"\u003cp\u003eStreet tree schedules across the eastern states lean hard on ash, and green ash is the workhorse of the group. Fraxinus pennsylvanica copes with compacted soil, wind, reflected heat off bitumen and periods of wet feet better than most deciduous shade trees, which is why it keeps turning up in car parks and nature strips where something more refined would sulk.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLednaw is a selected form, grown here in an aerial or standard configuration so the trunk is clear and the crown starts above head height. That matters over footpaths and parking bays. The foliage is pinnate and glossy dark green, heavier in texture than the fine leaf of a claret ash, and autumn runs to yellow and bronze rather than purple, so do not order it expecting claret colour.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeciduous, full sun, moderate water, moderate to fast growth. Ash can self sow in damp ground, so keep an eye out for seedlings near creek lines and drains. Available in 400mm and 30L advanced pot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 400mm, at $249.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/best-trees-for-small-backyards-australia\"\u003echoosing a tree for a small backyard\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64308893811057,"sku":null,"price":249.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30L","offer_id":64446147658097,"sku":null,"price":259.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/Dvhea65LHb6UVFS5uvMvC_A8pQ797h.jpg?v=1787628150"},{"product_id":"fraxinus-excelsior-aurea-golden-ash","title":"European Ash - Fraxinus excelsior Aurea Golden Ash","description":"\u003cp\u003eThrough winter, with the branches bare, the young shoots hold a warm yellow that lifts against the sky, and the fat black buds spaced along them are a giveaway for the species. Odd as it sounds, that leafless stretch is when the tree does its most useful work. In spring the foliage opens yellow green, matures to a soft light green through summer, then finishes clear butter yellow.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt grows into a substantial tree with a rounded crown, casting real shade in summer and letting the low sun through once the leaves drop, which is why it turned up in so many older Australian park and street plantings. It needs a site with room to spread and is not a small garden choice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBe aware that ash sets winged seed that carries on the wind, and Fraxinus has naturalised along waterways in parts of southern Australia. Keep it well back from creek lines and bushland edges, and expect a crop of seedlings in nearby garden beds each year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 8 sizes, from 300mm up to Bare root, priced from $62.95 to $14529.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/best-trees-for-small-backyards-australia\"\u003echoosing a tree for a small backyard\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"100L","offer_id":64311323263345,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000L","offer_id":64311323361649,"sku":null,"price":14529.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Bare root","offer_id":64311323394417,"sku":null,"price":62.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"75L","offer_id":64311323492721,"sku":null,"price":449.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64311323558257,"sku":null,"price":229.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400L","offer_id":64311323591025,"sku":null,"price":1319.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300L","offer_id":64311323722097,"sku":null,"price":1749.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311323787633,"sku":null,"price":88.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64446153326961,"sku":null,"price":2749.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"45L","offer_id":64446153359729,"sku":null,"price":269.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/uz3AvLz5n8jB9WYHqc5Su_fWenyMMZ.jpg?v=1787629103"},{"product_id":"fraxinus-pennsylvanica-urbdell-urbanite","title":"Green Ash - Fraxinus pennsylvanica Urbdell Urbanite","description":"\u003cp\u003eCompacted subsoil, heat reflected off bitumen, restricted root volume in a street pit: those are the parts of a city that kill trees. This clone was selected for them, takes all of that better than seedling green ash does, and grows at a moderate to fast rate while doing it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe foliage is thicker and darker than the species, glossy enough to read as a solid canopy from a distance, and it colours bronze to russet in autumn rather than the plain yellow most ash give you. The crown is broadly pyramidal when young and rounds out with age into a proper shade tree.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is a male clone, so it sets no seed. That matters twice over: no seedling carpet in the beds below, and no contribution to the ash that has naturalised along creek lines in parts of southern Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull sun, moderate water, deciduous. Sizes run from advanced containers through to very large specimen stock for street plantings that need to look established straight away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 12 sizes, from 330mm up to 1500L, priced from $149.00 to $12989.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/best-trees-for-small-backyards-australia\"\u003echoosing a tree for a small backyard\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"50L","offer_id":64311331979633,"sku":null,"price":379.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500mm","offer_id":64311332012401,"sku":null,"price":409.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"750L","offer_id":64311332045169,"sku":null,"price":3969.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45L","offer_id":64311332143473,"sku":null,"price":269.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"150L","offer_id":64311332274545,"sku":null,"price":819.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64311332340081,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64311332372849,"sku":null,"price":1209.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1500L","offer_id":64311332438385,"sku":null,"price":12989.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64311332471153,"sku":null,"price":239.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"75L","offer_id":64311332536689,"sku":null,"price":449.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"330mm","offer_id":64311332569457,"sku":null,"price":149.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400L","offer_id":64311332634993,"sku":null,"price":3199.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/mspZaWgtk6RPGTHxN4eti_JWx6uvIu.jpg?v=1787629105"},{"product_id":"fraxinus-angustifolia-raywood-claret-ash","title":"Claret Ash - Fraxinus angustifolia raywood","description":"\u003cp\u003eCool inland districts get the better result from this one. Raywood turns deep wine red through to purple in autumn, and the display is less reliable and more bronze in warm humid coastal gardens. Through summer the foliage is fine textured and mid green, casting light dappled shade rather than deep shade.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt reaches street tree size quickly, which is why it is planted so widely through Victoria, the ACT and inland New South Wales. That speed comes with a known cost. Raywood is prone to tight, included branch unions and to limb failure in storms, and dieback has been reported in mature plantings in some regions. Formative pruning in the first few years, to establish one dominant leader and remove narrow forks, changes how the tree ages.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull sun, moderate water and reasonable soil depth. Bare root stock is available in the dormant season alongside potted and bagged grades. We deliver to QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA for a flat $99, with a $399 minimum order.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 10 sizes, from 250mm up to Bare Root Regular, priced from $42.95 to $1209.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/best-trees-for-small-backyards-australia\"\u003echoosing a tree for a small backyard\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"500mm","offer_id":64311394795889,"sku":null,"price":459.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45L","offer_id":64311394828657,"sku":null,"price":249.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"75L","offer_id":64311394861425,"sku":null,"price":449.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"330mm","offer_id":64311394926961,"sku":null,"price":149.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"250mm","offer_id":64311394992497,"sku":null,"price":92.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311395025265,"sku":null,"price":99.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64311395058033,"sku":null,"price":249.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64311395090801,"sku":null,"price":1209.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64311395123569,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Bare Root Regular","offer_id":64311395156337,"sku":null,"price":42.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/l1zGAQbIdYHcgcMlBiVGn_9F6fjrDZ.jpg?v=1787629355"},{"product_id":"fraxinus-griffithii-evergreen-ash","title":"Evergreen Ash - Fraxinus griffithii","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe name oversells it. Fraxinus griffithii is not a reliably evergreen tree in Australian gardens, it thins noticeably and sheds leaf over winter, and in cooler districts it can go close to bare. Do not specify it where a solid year round screen is the whole point of the planting.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat it does well is scale. It stays a small to medium tree with a neat rounded head, glossy pinnate foliage and smooth grey bark, which is why it turns up in narrow verges, courtyards and car parks where a plane tree would have been a mistake. Spring brings large loose panicles of creamy white flower over the whole canopy, followed by papery winged seed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat seed is the catch. This ash sets heavily, seedlings come up readily in mulch and garden beds, and it is treated as a weed risk in parts of eastern Australia. In a maintained garden it is easy enough to stay on top of. Next to a reserve or a creek line, choose something else.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 10 sizes, from 140mm up to 100L, priced from $16.95 to $649.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/best-trees-for-small-backyards-australia\"\u003echoosing a tree for a small backyard\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311422091633,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311422124401,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45L","offer_id":64311422157169,"sku":null,"price":229.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64311422255473,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"250mm","offer_id":64311422288241,"sku":null,"price":59.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64311422321009,"sku":null,"price":239.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"330mm","offer_id":64311422353777,"sku":null,"price":149.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"420mm","offer_id":64311422419313,"sku":null,"price":259.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"75L","offer_id":64311422452081,"sku":null,"price":469.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311422484849,"sku":null,"price":119.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"143mm","offer_id":64446163616113,"sku":null,"price":72.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"30L","offer_id":64446163648881,"sku":null,"price":279.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/e3EMqvOx6R4M-_8jbDvS1_xZiQXSdM.jpg?v=1787629501"},{"product_id":"fraxinus-pennsylvanica-cimmzam-cimmaron","title":"Green Ash - Fraxinus pennsylvanica Cimmzam Cimmaron","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe reason specifiers call up Cimmaron rather than a seedling green ash is that this clone is male and sets no seed. Ash has a poor record in Australian creek lines and reserves, and a non seeding selection takes that objection off the table while keeping everything the tree is useful for.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat it is useful for is urban punishment. Green ash puts up with compacted soil, periodic waterlogging, wind and heat reflected off pavement, and it grows quickly enough that a street planting starts casting real shade within a few years. Cimmaron holds a narrower, more upright oval crown than the species, which suits a footpath where a spreading tree would need constant lifting.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAutumn colour is the other reason it gets used, an orange red rather than the plain yellow most green ash gives. Being deciduous it lets winter sun onto houses and paving, then closes over again for summer. Ash timber is not the strongest in a storm, so formative pruning to a single leader while the tree is young is time well spent.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 13 sizes, from 330mm up to 1100L, priced from $149.00 to $12679.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/best-trees-for-small-backyards-australia\"\u003echoosing a tree for a small backyard\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"45L","offer_id":64311429759345,"sku":null,"price":279.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"600L","offer_id":64311429792113,"sku":null,"price":6829.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"150L","offer_id":64311429824881,"sku":null,"price":819.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"75L","offer_id":64311429890417,"sku":null,"price":449.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64311429923185,"sku":null,"price":1479.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"420mm","offer_id":64311429955953,"sku":null,"price":279.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50L","offer_id":64311430021489,"sku":null,"price":379.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1100L","offer_id":64311430152561,"sku":null,"price":12679.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"330mm","offer_id":64311430250865,"sku":null,"price":149.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64311430349169,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"700L","offer_id":64311430381937,"sku":null,"price":4509.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400L","offer_id":64311430414705,"sku":null,"price":3199.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64311430447473,"sku":null,"price":229.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"26L","offer_id":64446164664689,"sku":null,"price":119.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/6hFPPkbbKcNNdLWaXigV2_JCxFPEpj.jpg?v=1787629569"},{"product_id":"fraxinus-velutina","title":"Arizona Ash - Fraxinus velutina","description":"\u003cp\u003eVelvet ash carries a broad, open, rounded crown on a straight trunk, and it holds that crown over ground that defeats most other deciduous shade trees. The name is in the foliage: soft grey-green leaflets with a fine velvety down on the undersides, dull rather than glossy, unlike any other ash in this range. Its job here is shade. Think inland driveways, western-facing back yards, paddock corners and street verges where baking summers, alkaline soil and dry winters are the ordinary conditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSiting velvet ash on hot inland blocks\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull sun and honest drainage, which is what the species evolved for in the arid south-west of North America. It earns its keep through inland New South Wales, the Victorian Mallee, the South Australian mid-north and the drier parts of south-east Queensland, taking alkaline soil, hard clay loam and long rainless stretches once the roots are down. Water deeply and infrequently through the first two summers rather than sprinkling daily, and give the tree room, because the crown broadens with age and the lower limbs sweep wider than most people plan for.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe one real failure mode is structural. Velvet ash grows quickly, the timber is brittle, and it naturally forms tight forks with bark included in the union. Those forks split out in a summer storm fifteen or twenty years later, usually over something expensive. Prune formatively from the first winter: hold a single central leader, take out competing stems while they are still finger thick, and keep only wide-angled scaffolds. One further check before a public planting, since ash is recorded as an environmental weed in parts of southern Australia: confirm the species is acceptable with your local council.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eVelvet ash or manna ash\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe other ash in the range is \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fraxinus-ornus\"\u003eManna Ash - Fraxinus ornus\u003c\/a\u003e, and the two are not interchangeable. Ornus is the small one, a neat rounded head on a short trunk, grown for the creamy scented panicles it carries in late spring, and it is the sensible pick for a narrow verge or a suburban front garden. Velutina is the bigger, coarser, tougher tree. Choose it where the site is genuinely hot and dry and you want canopy over a yard, a shed or a driveway rather than a flowering display. If the block is large and autumn colour matters more to you than drought tolerance, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/liquidambar-styraciflua\"\u003eSweet Gum - Liquidambar styraciflua\u003c\/a\u003e is the alternative, though it wants deeper soil and steadier water than this tree ever asks for.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWinter pruning and spring feeding\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrune in winter while the tree is bare and the branch structure is easy to read. The early years are for shaping rather than tidying: take out crossing wood, shorten competing leaders and lift the canopy gradually over several seasons instead of stripping the lower limbs in one pass. Once the framework is set, an established tree needs very little cutting at all. Feed in early spring with a balanced slow-release fertiliser spread to the drip line and watered in, and hold a wide ring of coarse mulch back off the trunk so the root zone stays cool through its first summers. More options in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/ash-trees\"\u003eash trees\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 4 sizes, from 45L up to Bare Root Regular, priced from $42.95 to $649.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/best-trees-for-small-backyards-australia\"\u003echoosing a tree for a small backyard\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"Bare Root Advanced","offer_id":64311444078961,"sku":null,"price":46.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64311444111729,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Bare Root Regular","offer_id":64311444177265,"sku":null,"price":42.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45L","offer_id":64311444210033,"sku":null,"price":289.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/plantdrop-velvet-ash-fraxinus-velutina-20260611_33a9d120-1a29-44bb-91f1-fd2bbe890689.png?v=1785551838"},{"product_id":"fraxinus-ornus","title":"Manna Ash - Fraxinus ornus","description":"\u003cp\u003eManna ash is the small, flowering member of the genus. It builds a compact rounded head on a short trunk rather than the tall vase shape of the larger ashes, which is what keeps it usable on a nature strip. In late spring the whole canopy disappears under dense creamy panicles carrying a faint honey scent, a real flowering display in a genus that otherwise flowers without anybody noticing. Use it as a street tree, a verge tree, or light shade over a suburban front garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eManna ash in Mediterranean-climate gardens\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull sun and moderate water. The species comes from southern Europe and Asia Minor, so gardens around Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Canberra and the southern tablelands suit it well, and it handles alkaline, shallow and rocky ground better than most deciduous trees of its size. Reflected heat off paving does not trouble it the way it troubles a birch, and the smooth pale grey bark stays clean for years before it begins to roughen. Autumn colour runs to bronze and plum, but it is variable and depends a great deal on how cold your autumn nights get; in a mild coastal garden expect the leaves to yellow quietly and drop without much ceremony.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe one real failure mode is not in the garden bed, it is over the fence. Manna ash sets winged seed in quantity, seedlings recruit into mulched beds, creek lines and neglected ground, and Fraxinus is recorded as an environmental weed in parts of southern Australia. Check with your council before specifying it for public work, and pull the volunteers each spring if you are planting anywhere near bushland or a watercourse.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eChoosing between the two ashes\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe comparison worth making is with \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fraxinus-velutina\"\u003eArizona Ash - Fraxinus velutina\u003c\/a\u003e. Velutina is the inland workhorse: larger, coarser, faster and more forgiving of baking dry summers, but with brittle timber and a crown that will eventually outgrow a suburban verge. Ornus stays smaller, flowers properly and keeps a tidier head, which makes it the better choice under powerlines, on a narrow street reserve or in a front garden with a fence line close by. If you want that same modest scale with peeling bark and a weeping outline instead of flowers, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/betula-nigra-summer-cascade\"\u003eRiver Birch - Betula nigra Summer Cascade\u003c\/a\u003e does it, though it wants a cooler, damper root zone than any ash needs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eKeeping next spring's flowers on the tree\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrune in late winter before the buds move, and keep it light. The panicles come from buds set the previous season, so heading back the outer shoots takes off the display you planted the tree for. Limit winter work to crossing branches, dead wood and any competing leader while the tree is young, then leave the canopy alone to fill out. Feed once in early spring with a balanced slow-release fertiliser watered in to the drip line, and mulch generously while keeping the material clear of the trunk itself. See the rest of the range in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/feature-trees\"\u003efeature trees\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 4 sizes, from 400mm up to 100L, priced from $229.00 to $649.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/best-trees-for-small-backyards-australia\"\u003echoosing a tree for a small backyard\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"45L","offer_id":64311481565553,"sku":null,"price":229.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64311481598321,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64311481631089,"sku":null,"price":249.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500mm","offer_id":64311481663857,"sku":null,"price":409.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/pd15-075-flowering-ash-fraxinus-ornus_3db8615a-8986-452a-acf0-882482757648.png?v=1785551980"},{"product_id":"fraxinus-excelsior","title":"European Ash - Fraxinus excelsior","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a reason European ash lines so many old avenues in Melbourne, Ballarat and Canberra. It is a large, upright deciduous tree with pinnate leaves and distinctive black winter buds, casting light summer shade and dropping cleanly in autumn. Growth is moderate to fast in full sun with moderate water, and it copes with alkaline soils and cold winters that trouble other shade trees.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo things to weigh before planting. It is a genuinely big tree and needs room well away from footpaths, drains and small buildings, because both the surface roots and the winged seed are prolific. And in cooler, moister districts European ash self-seeds along creek lines and is treated as an environmental weed in parts of Victoria and New South Wales, so check local advice before using it anywhere near bushland. On the right site, as a park, paddock or wide street tree, little else matches it for scale and longevity. Supplied at 75L.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 75L, at $489.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/best-trees-for-small-backyards-australia\"\u003echoosing a tree for a small backyard\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"75L","offer_id":64311513252209,"sku":null,"price":489.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/kTxBS94sVqqbHkN0CvpgR_LAvUrvp8.jpg?v=1787630243"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/collections\/pd15-075-flowering-ash-fraxinus-ornus_3db8615a-8986-452a-acf0-882482757648.png?v=1787349841","url":"https:\/\/plantdrop.com.au\/collections\/ash-trees.oembed","provider":"Plant Drop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}