White Ash 'Autumn Purple'

This is the most commonly planted cultivar of White Ash in the Midwest and Eastern USA. It is a "male" tree that only bears staminate flo...Read Morewers, so it is seedless. It has good dark green, glossy summer foliage and a good red-purple autumn color. Check out the mother species of White Ash in the files.

I have four Autumn Purple ashes outside my bedroom windows on the west side of my house. I planted them in 2001and they are now about 30...Read More feet tall. I have planted over 500 trees on my property and they are one of the most beautiful. They are really easy to take care of and are a great shade tree. They do not have invasive top roots like some other shade trees and I have had no problems with bores in them or any other problem. I was very surprised to see any negative comments about them. They are easy to prune and their shape is oval to round. If you want a perfect shade tree this is it!!

Overall a nice shade tree. Interesting leave shape and overall oval/pyramid tree shape.

Grows fast --- 16-24" a year. Boug...Read Moreht mine at 10' and it's doubled in height and width in 6 years.

Large green leaves in the summer turn to gorgeous deep purple in the fall.

Two complaints: it's the last tree to leaf out in the spring and the first to lose its leaves in the fall. There are leaves on this tree 7 months of the year tops!

Also, I treat yearly with a systemic insecticide to protect against Emerald Ash Borer, but nevertheless I find myself worrying about it often during spring, summer, and fall. For the reason alone, I would not buy this tree again.

Wow, this tree is gorgeous. But when I researched it I found there is a new non-native borer that is eating these at a rapid pace starti...Read Moreng from the north. Here's what my friend in Michigan had to say about them when I asked:

"The emerald ash borer is a big deal here! No one can transport firewood within the state so even if I have some great pine or something to take up north for my fire pit when camping, I can't take it--risk big fine and the bug being transported to a new area. Tons, and I mean tons, of trees were cut down this past year here in Saginaw because of the ash borer and the DNR trying to stop its progression."