Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Raywood Ash
Raywood Ash is a shade tree grown for its fall color, when the fine, dark green leaves turn burgundy to red-purple. It grows upright when young and fills out into a rounded tree about 30 to 40 feet tall. It is seedless, so there is no ash seed litter, and it handles hard cold. It does best with regular deep water, such as in or near a lawn.
Best for: fall color in a watered yard, summer shade that opens to winter sun, lawns and irrigated areas, and yards that want an ash with no seed litter.
In late fall the fine, dark green leaves turn burgundy to red-purple, mostly around December in Phoenix. Then they drop and let winter sun through. That makes it a good tree for summer shade over a patio or lawn that wants winter sun.
It grows upright and narrow when young, then fills out into a rounded shade tree about 30 to 40 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide. It does best in a lawn or other regularly watered area. Once rooted, soak the drip line every 7 to 14 days in summer.
Raywood is seedless, so it does not drop the winged seeds other ash trees leave behind. Plant it at least 20 feet from other trees so the canopy has room to round out.
The light gray bark sunburns easily in Valley summers, so paint the trunk with tree trunk paint and raise the canopy slowly. It is not a dry, low-water tree. Yellow leaves from lack of iron and summer heat stress are common problems.
- Trees in a row20 ft apart
- Open lawn planting20 ft or more apart
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.
Prune in winter while it is bare. 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.
What color does Raywood Ash turn in fall?
The leaves turn burgundy to red-purple. In Phoenix the color mostly shows around December, just before the leaves drop.
How big does Raywood Ash get?
About 30 to 40 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide. It starts upright and narrow, then rounds out with age, so plant it at least 20 feet from other trees.
Is Raywood Ash seedless?
Yes. It is a seedless selection, so it does not drop the winged seeds other ash trees do.
Does Raywood Ash lose its leaves in winter?
Yes. It drops its leaves after the fall color, so it gives shade in summer and lets sun through in winter. Rake up the leaves once they fall.
How much water does Raywood Ash need?
Regular deep water, especially March through October. Once rooted, soak the drip line every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 2 to 4 weeks in winter. It suits lawns and watered areas, not dry gravel yards.
Does Raywood Ash bark sunburn?
Yes. Raywood bark sunburns easily in Valley summers. Paint the trunk with tree trunk paint or keep it shaded, and raise the crown slowly so the trunk stays covered.
Why are the leaves yellow?
Usually iron shortage in alkaline soil, which is common in the Valley. Iron chelate in spring helps when the leaves are yellow with green veins.
How should I prune Raywood Ash?
Do structural pruning in winter while it is bare, mostly in its first several years. Raise the crown slowly and never take more than a quarter of the canopy in a year, since thinning exposes the bark to sunburn.
How fast does it grow?
It grows at a moderate to fast pace, and regular deep water keeps it on the faster end.
How cold hardy is Raywood Ash?
It is very cold hardy, down well below 0°F, so a Valley winter will not hurt it.
Can Raywood Ash get ash decline?
Yes. Ash decline is confirmed in Arizona and kills ash slowly over several years, with no effective treatment. Keep the tree well watered and check irrigation first if branches start dying.
Does it get borers?
Borers go after stressed ash trees, especially ones short on water or with sunburned bark. Regular deep water and a protected trunk are the best defense.
Raywood Ash for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Raywood Ash is a seedless ash known for burgundy fall color and fine, dark green leaves. In the Valley it wants regular water and some trunk protection. Below: size, water, fall color, sunburned bark, yellow leaves, pruning and ash decline.
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.
Raywood Ash fall color in Phoenix
The leaves turn burgundy to red-purple in late fall, mostly around December in Phoenix. Then they drop, so the tree lets winter sun through.
How big does Raywood Ash get?
About 30 to 40 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide, upright when young and rounded with age. Plant trees at least 20 feet apart, center to center.
How to water Raywood Ash in Arizona
Give it regular deep water, especially March through October. Once rooted, soak the drip line every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 2 to 4 weeks in winter. It suits lawns and irrigated areas rather than dry desert plantings.
Raywood Ash trunk sunscald
The light gray bark sunburns easily in hot summers. Use tree trunk paint, keep the canopy full and raise lower branches slowly.
Is Raywood Ash seedless?
Yes. Raywood is a seedless selection, so there is no seed litter like other ash trees drop.
Raywood Ash vs Arizona Ash
Raywood has fine leaves, burgundy fall color and no seeds. Arizona ash is a native with golden yellow fall color, and female trees drop winged seeds.
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