• Home
  • Meet Mary
  • Speaking
  • Writing
  • Contact
  • Northern Gardener Book

My Northern Garden

July 31, 2009 · 4 Comments

How to Identify an Ash Tree

How to

ash tree in garden

Marshall Seedless Ash

Emerald Ash Borer has been a threat to Minnesota homeowners and our forests since about 2007. While lots of photos of Emerald Ash Borers are on the internet, many people do not know what an ash tree looks like and may not even know that they have an ash in their yard. (Odds are, you do — these are very common trees in Minnesota.   The photo at left is a shot of a Marshall seedless ash in my Northfield yard.  It was planted as a mature tree in 1999, and over the years we lived in the house, it grew to be  a lovely shade tree, nicely shaped and taller than the roof of our house. It was terrific at blocking the view from my kitchen window to my neighbor’s back deck—something both of us appreciated!

bark of ash tree

Bark of healthy ash tree

Above is the bark of the ash tree. The borer is usually discovered when homeowners notice thinning at the top of their tree and dieback. Arborists will remove some bark and look for the characteristic galleries of the borer. The leaves of an ash tree are oblong shaped with a point at the end. They form in clusters with an odd number of leaves, say 7 or 9 leaves, with most of them arrayed in pairs along a stem and then one leaf at the end of the stem.

Hope this is helpful for those uncertain about whether they have an ash tree in their yards. If you fear your ash is unwell and may have ash borers, do not hesitate to contact your city or a local arborist for help.

Related posts:

  1. Plant BIG Trees The single best landscaping decision my husband and I ever...
  2. P.O.V. One day last fall, my neighbor from across the street...
« Recipe for a Use-What-You-Have Summer Salad
How to Attract Hummingbirds with Yvonne’s Giant Salvia »

Comments

  1. Penelope says

    August 2, 2009 at 8:24 am

    Good idea for a post. Might you perhaps also post a photo of an older ash, as these have the deep diamond pattern in the bark which is so recognizable as one walks past the trees, even before one looks up at the leaves to confirm the identification?

  2. mynortherngarden says

    August 2, 2009 at 1:59 pm

    Good idea, Penny. I believe there are some older ash trees near City Hall. I’ll have to remember to take my camera next time I’m in that area.

Trackbacks

  1. Emerald Ash Borer: What to Look For | My Northern Garden says:
    March 16, 2011 at 9:37 am

    […] do when scouting for Emerald Ash Borer is to make sure you are looking at an ash tree.  I put this guide up a couple of years ago, which might be helpful in determining if the tree you have is indeed an […]

  2. Update on the Emerald Ash Borer in Minnesota says:
    March 9, 2013 at 5:49 am

    […] Identifying an ash tree. […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Connect

  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed for Posts

Grow it, Minnesota Podcast

Now Available!

My Northern Garden book

mynortherngarden_mary

What’s a northern gardener to do all winter? In What’s a northern gardener to do all winter? In these pandemic times, I’ve been having fun making quilts. Small, easy, no stress quilts. And, these garden themed fabrics on discount through Etsy were irresistible. 

I’m a beginner quilter and learned the craft through YouTube! (My favorite tutorials are the scrap buster quilts from @justgetitdonequilts) This fabric bundle included 21 different half yard prints, so I’ll probably have fabric left over for next winter too. 

How are you keeping sane/busy this winter? 
.
.
.
#gardenlife #gardenfabric #modafabric #offseason #beginnerquilter #winter #minnesotawinter #minnesota
Sometimes amaryllis are just so extra—like extra Sometimes amaryllis are just so extra—like extra large! What I really like about this one (it’s called Magic Green) is that the blooms are just right. Showy but not excessive. So far, the color is more cream than green though there is a pale green undertone. Beautiful variety! 

And, for those who may notice those tell-tale yellow strips in the pots—yes, I am having an ongoing fungus gnat issue. Not out of control, but definitely irritating. 

How’s your indoor garden 🪴 growing? 
.
.
.
#amaryllis #amaryllisflower #magicgreenamaryllis #indoorplants #bulbs #wintergarden #indoorgarden #houseplants #topview #mngarden #mngardening #bloomingbulbs
We’re still a few weeks away from seed starting We’re still a few weeks away from seed starting time, but I’m looking forward to having baby plants in the house. 🌱My conversation with Meg from @seedtofork on the Grow it, Minnesota podcast got me thinking about how I might change my set up this year. I’ve never used heat mats for seed starting since I keep my seedlings in the heated part of the house. But maybe this is the year to try that for peppers and tomatoes? Meg swears by heating mats! 

She also got me thinking about LED lights vs. fluorescent. I’m not inclined to replace lights that are still good, but light technology is changing. A lot to learn! 

Link to the podcast in the bio. Also links to seed starting charts and tips in the show notes at growitminnesota.com. 
.
.
.
#seedstarting #growyourownfood #startfromseed #gardentipsandtricks #seeds #veggies #vegetablegarden #coldclimategardening #gardenpodcast #mnpodcast #mngardening #minnesota
Succulent Sunday. I bought this trio from the loca Succulent Sunday. I bought this trio from the local Boy Scout troop during the holidays. It came with  snowman decorations and Christmas glitter, but once that came off it has a subtle charm. Low maintenance too!
.
.
.
#succulents #succulentsofinstagram #succulentdish #houseplants #januarygarden #echiveria #mynortherngarden
Wondering about what garden zone you are in or wha Wondering about what garden zone you are in or what first and last frost dates mean for your vegetable garden? Here’s the zone info for Minnesota and Midwest gardeners. 

My latest blog post on MyNorthernGarden.com has the basics on zones and frost dates. (Link in bio.) Knowing a few simple things about your climate is a key to success in the garden. 

With the warm temps we have had this winter, it feels like we are gardening in about zone 6, but never fear, it will get cold again. Listening to the weather the other night, I was reminded that in early January of 2019, it hit 47 (!) in the Twin Cities. On January 29 that year, I recorded the coldest temp I’ve ever seen in my garden—minus 23. 🥶🥶🥶 
 If you haven’t listened to it yet, check out the latest episode of Grow it, Minnesota to find out how to beat the cold with hoops, cold frames and more. Link to that in bio, too. Stay warm! 
.
.
#garden #coldclimategardening #gardenzones #zone3garden #zone4garden #itscoldouthere #gardenfacts #minnesota #minnesotaweather #minnesotagardens #minnesotapodcasts #growingundercover
Super excited about tomorrow’s episode of the Gr Super excited about tomorrow’s episode of the Grow it, Minnesota podcast. My guest is Niki Jabbour to talk about cold frames, mini hoops, poly tunnels and her new book, Growing Under Cover. The book is packed with information for northern gardeners who want to stretch our short growing season. The episode goes live tomorrow morning and you can subscribe in Apple, Google, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. 
.
.
#vegetables #growyourown #growtourownfood #storeypublishing #extendtheseason #greenhouses #hoophouse #coldframe #polytunnel #growitmn #gardenpodcast #minnesota #minnesotapodcast
Top nine images from 2020! A bit surprised my tool Top nine images from 2020! A bit surprised my tools made it into the list 🤔 but the rest are plants I love. I’m looking forward to more gardening friends and fun in 2021. Happy New Year! 🎈 
.
.
.
#goodbye2020 #happynewyear #gardeninglife #gardeninspo #gardenlife #gardenlove #mynortherngarden #northerngardener #mngarden #mngardening #minnesota #stpaulgarden #coldclimategardening #mnhort #gardentools
Yea! Look what came in today’s mail. The latest Yea! Look what came in today’s mail. The latest Northern Gardener is out with lots of great garden advice from @renegade_gardener @kopurdy @gbrownhudson (cover photo by Gail) and more. Just the thing for a long winter weekend. 
.
.
.
#northerngardener #coldclimategardening #gardenmagazine #magnoliascale #lavender #garden #mnhort #mnhorticulturalsociety
I was listening to the @plantramapod podcast on my I was listening to the @plantramapod podcast on my walk and the hosts were waxing poetic about wax plant, aka Hoya. I could not agree more! It is a great house plant, and the first one I had success with. My two plants are offspring of a Hoya that my grandmother had, which was passed to my mom and now me. The original plant 🪴 was planted at least 60 years ago! Hoya are long lived, don’t need much watering or fuss and do well in many sun situations even in our dry Minnesota homes. 

My plants have bloomed in the past but not since we’ve been in our current house. Maybe 2021 will be the lucky year. Anyone have tips for getting them to bloom? 
.
.
.
#hoya #hoyacarnosa #houseplantsofmsp #houseplantsofinstagram #houseplants #gardenpodcasts #gardeninfo #indoorgarden
#garden #mygarden #mynortherngarden #gardeninspo
#mngardening #minnesota #mnhort
#gardeninglife #coldclimategardening
#stpaulgarden #stpaulmn
#Zone4garden #zone4b
We snuck in a walk at Lebanon Hills park this morn We snuck in a walk at Lebanon Hills park this morning before the weather turned. This old tree seemed to be smiling at us. 
.
.
.
#mntrees #dakotacountyparks #nature #takeawalk
Can’t imagine why my sister thought this would b Can’t imagine why my sister thought this would be a good shirt 👚 for me?  Thanks, @kelzenbergs ! 
.
.
.
#plantmama #plantsmakepeoplehappy #mynortherngarden #justonemoreplant
Keeping my spirits bright with this book on arrang Keeping my spirits bright with this book on arranging flowers. Inspiring and educational. Now, if I just had an acre or two of land for all the 🌻🌷🌺🌸.
.
.
.
#gardenbooks #flowerarranging #cutflowers #floretflowerfarm #myreadinglife #flowerfarm #alwayslearning #mynortherngarden #coldclimategardening #bloom
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Top Posts & Pages

  • How to Pollinate a Meyer Lemon Tree
  • Big Changes in Minnesota Hardiness Zone Map
  • How to Winter Sow Wildflowers
  • What to Do with Not-Quite-Ripe Winter Squash? Recipes Included
  • How to Build a Vegetable Garden Box for Your Deck
  • Update on the Winter Sowing Containers
  • Snow's Insulation Power in Winter
  • How to Use the Winter Sowing Method to Start Seeds Outdoors
  • Growing Lettuce in a Window Box
  • Contact

Post Categories

  • Books/Writing
  • Climate
  • How to
  • Plants
  • Recipes
  • Uncategorized
  • Why We Garden

Copyright © 2021 · captivating theme by Restored 316