Manna Ash Fraxinus ornus

Manna 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.

Manna ash in Mediterranean-climate gardens

Full 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.

The 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.

Choosing between the two ashes

The comparison worth making is with Arizona Ash - Fraxinus velutina. 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, River Birch - Betula nigra Summer Cascade does it, though it wants a cooler, damper root zone than any ash needs.

Keeping next spring's flowers on the tree

Prune 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 feature trees.

Choosing a size

This 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 choosing a tree for a small backyard.