Fraxinus, Claret Ash, Raywood Ash 'Raywood'

This tree is a great option for Salt Lake City, Utah (zone 7b). It absolutely thrives here, and grows very quickly. It’s one of the abs...Read Moreolute best choices of Ash for Utah besides the native species. They are one of the last trees to drop their leaves too, which is a huge advantage in my eyes because I’m not a huge fan of deciduous trees. They usually start loosing leaves in early December (sometimes earlier or later), and then leaf out again in late February/ early March. Fraxinus angustifolia has extremely attractive foliage, and is highly adapted to the climate of the desert southwest. It is much more common in Southern Utah, but is becoming more popular in the Salt Lake City area thankfully. It is native to the Mediterranean and Northern Africa, so it is a species that prefers desert/ low humidity climates.

This tree is an extremely vigorous grower. The trees that a previous owner planted in the parkway (between sidewalk and curb) have grown ...Read Morefrom small trees as high as a person to 2 stories tall in three years. I also find its deciduous habit a bit messy, but this may be because I live on the west coast, and it is relatively simple to buy evergreen trees for this area of the yard. My trees are also a bit leggy, and I don't find them very attractive at this point in their development. Many of the photos I've seen of these trees show beautiful fall foliage, but we do not get the color on the trees in the milder coastal climate here. We lose the leaves around Dec-January and get them back in February.
Apparently the trees are supposed to grow to 30-40 feet tall, so I'm guessing they'll continue to shoot up.
These trees would be good for an area that requires little water but has room for a large tree with a lot of shade, especially if you need it "quickly".