Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Arizona Ash
Arizona Ash is the native ash of Arizona's canyons and a fast-growing tree for dense summer shade. It grows into a broad, rounded tree about 30 to 50 feet tall with dark green leaves. In late fall the leaves turn golden yellow, then drop so winter sun comes through. It handles cold well and grows best with regular deep watering.
Best for: fast, dense summer shade over a yard or lawn, winter sun after the leaves drop, golden fall color, and native landscapes with regular water.
It grows fast into a broad, rounded tree about 30 to 50 feet tall and 25 to 45 feet wide. The dense canopy of dark green leaves gives deep summer shade over a yard or lawn.
In late fall, mostly around December in Phoenix, the leaves turn golden yellow. Then they drop, letting winter sun reach the house and yard until spring.
It grows wild along canyons in Arizona, the Southwest and northern Mexico. It is hardy to about -10°F, well below anything the Valley sees.
It is not a low-water desert tree. Water-stressed trees brown in summer, get borers and yellow leaves. Surface roots can lift paving, and the trunk sunburns if the canopy is thinned.
- Row of shade trees20 ft apart
- Single shade tree20 ft from other trees
For the first two weeks, water a new tree every 1 to 2 days in summer, or every 3 to 4 days in cooler months. Ease to about weekly in summer by the second month, and keep up deep, regular soaks for its first 3 years. Ash is a regular-water tree. Once rooted, soak the drip line every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 2 to 4 weeks in winter.
Take off the nursery stake at planting, and stake only if the tree cannot stand on its own or sits in a windy spot. Use two stakes outside the root ball and soft, wide ties that let the trunk sway. Remove them after about a year.
Do not thin the canopy heavily, because ash bark sunburns easily. Raise lower branches slowly over several years, and never take more than a quarter of the canopy in a year.
Yellow leaves with green veins mean the tree cannot get enough iron from alkaline soil. Apply an iron product in spring, and only when the leaves are yellow.
Borers go after stressed ash, especially trees short on water or with sunburned bark. If branches die back year after year, check the watering first. Ash decline has no reliable cure.
Drops its leaves in winter and leafs out again in spring.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does Arizona Ash get?
It usually grows about 30 to 50 feet tall and 25 to 45 feet wide, with a broad, rounded canopy. Give it plenty of room, 20 feet or more from other trees.
How often should I water an Arizona Ash?
It needs regular water in the Valley. Once rooted, soak it deep at the drip line about every 1 to 2 weeks in the hottest months, and much less in winter.
Why are my Arizona Ash leaves yellow with green veins?
That is usually iron shortage in alkaline soil. Give iron chelate in spring, and only when the leaves are yellowing.
Why do the leaves brown in summer?
Usually heat or water stress, often starting on the side that gets afternoon sun. Young trees are hit harder. Check that it is getting deep water.
Does Arizona Ash get borers?
Borers go after stressed ash trees, from lack of water or sunburned bark. Keeping it well watered is the best defense. Emerald ash borer has not been found in Arizona.
What is ash decline?
Ash decline is a disease confirmed in Arizona that kills ash slowly over several years. Signs are dying branches and tufts of small leaves. There is no effective treatment, so check your watering first.
Do Arizona Ash roots cause problems?
They can lift sidewalks and curbs with surface roots. Shallow, frequent watering keeps roots near the surface, so water deeply and less often to pull them down.
How should I prune Arizona Ash?
Prune it only lightly and never thin the crown, because the trunk sunburns without a full canopy. Raise lower branches slowly over several years.
Does Arizona Ash drop seeds?
Female trees drop winged seeds, while male trees drop none but shed pollen. Seed-grown trees vary, so plan on some seed cleanup under a female tree.
Is Arizona Ash pollen bad for allergies?
Ash pollen comes from male trees, from about February into April, and it is a known spring allergen in the Valley. Keep that in mind if anyone at home has spring allergies.
When does Arizona Ash turn color?
It turns golden yellow in late fall, mostly around December in Phoenix, before the leaves drop. Rake the leaves once they fall.
How cold hardy is it?
It is hardy to about -10°F, far below a Valley winter. It needs no frost protection.
Arizona Ash for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Arizona Ash is a fast native shade tree with a broad, rounded canopy and golden yellow fall color. It grows best with regular deep water in the Valley. Below are the questions people ask most, from size and water to yellow leaves, summer browning, borers, ash decline, roots, pollen and seeds.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
How big does an Arizona Ash tree get?
It grows about 30 to 50 feet tall and 25 to 45 feet wide, with a broad, rounded canopy. Plant trees 20 feet or more apart.
How to water Arizona Ash in Phoenix
Soak it deep at the drip line, about 2 to 3 feet down. Once rooted, water about every 1 to 2 weeks in the hottest months and much less in winter.
Arizona Ash yellow leaves
Yellow leaves with green veins mean iron shortage in alkaline soil. Apply iron chelate in spring, only when the leaves are yellowing.
Arizona Ash problems in the Valley
Most problems follow stress: summer leaf browning, borers and sunburned trunks. Ash decline is also confirmed in Arizona and kills trees slowly over several years.
Arizona Ash roots and sidewalks
Surface roots can lift sidewalks and curbs. Deep, spaced-out watering pulls roots down, while shallow watering keeps them at the surface. Plant it well back from walks and drives.
Arizona Ash vs Bonita and Fan-Tex Ash
Bonita and Fan-Tex are seedless male selections of Arizona ash. Seed-grown Arizona ash can be male or female and varies from tree to tree.
Arizona Ash fall color
The leaves turn golden yellow in late fall, mostly around December in Phoenix, then drop to let winter sun through. Plant it where you want summer shade and winter sun.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.