Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Trees

Fraxinus lanuginosa

Japanese ash

Large, deciduous, rounded tree about 15m tall, with dark green leaves to 15cm long with up to 7 leaflets, turning yellow then purple in autumn. Creamy-white flowers are produced in panicles, late spring, followed by reddish-brown winged fruits. Conspicuous winter buds are pale pink or greyish-brown with short hairs

Save to My plants

Ultimate height

Higher than 12 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

Wider than 8 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Oleaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Spreading branched
Genus: Fraxinus are medium-sized to large, mostly deciduous trees with attractive pinnate leaves, sometimes conspicuous flowers and autumn colour, and distinctive winged fruits
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Japan

How to grow

Cultivation

Excellent for woodland and coastal gardens where there is moist but well-drained alkaline or neutral soil and full sun. See tree cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by seed or grafting

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens

Pruning

Pruning group 1

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Ash dieback has recently been found in the UK. Restrictions have been put in place (from 29 October 2012) regarding both the importation of ash from abroad and the movement of ash within the UK. May also be susceptible to honey fungus

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.