As far as saving it, no.

Ash wood is pretty decent. White ash makes baseball bats.

Don't know if this will make you feel better, but a bug called the Emerald Ash Borer is killing all Fraxinus family ash trees in a number of states in the Midwest and North East. It is spreading also so the storm may have just saved you some trouble and decisions.

Sucks though to lose a tree.

not much to go on ...

a pic would really help ..

with no insult to the root system.. there is no reason it should not resprout ...

which only leaves whether you want to fool around with ash.. in your unknown area ..

ken

Have posted a pic but can't see much. It's about 2 years old, 5ft tall. It had completely snapped after being flattened by a fence panel.i live in the south of england.

Toss it for sure, no questions asked. Get something other than an Ash. Looking for new tree suggestions? You're in the right place!

a tree that size.. does not need that kind of staking .... unless freshly planted... for which staking like that.. is to stop it from rocking its roots right out of the ground... so for the year of planting... you would stake it .. as such ... otherwise.. it should blow in the wind ....

now.. all that said.. lol ... perhaps you should have staked the fence.. lol ...

as i said... it should repsrout ... then the decision is ..... reduction to one leader/trunk.. and whether you would be better off with a different tree ...

offhand.. is EAB in GB????

ken

Thanks for the advice. I feel sad to throw it because it just started growing in my garden for no reason and i became quite attached to it.

We have had very strong winds, the fences never hold. I'm tempted to replant it and pray. Lol.

maria65 - sorry to tell you but seedling ashes of this kind, although native, are essentially a weed in English gardens. Along with sycamores they self sow with abandon and are totally inappropriate trees for our sized gardens. They grow huge, block light, damage walls and fences and shade out other plants. You have already seen the rate of growth i.e. 2 years old and 5 feet tall. The storm has done you a favour and I would recommend you get rid of the tree altogether and plant something more suitable. Ashes are lovely trees in woodland but a menace in an urban garden.

Ok. Thankyou very much.

let us help you pick a better.. more size appropriate tree for your garden ...

you would have to describe the garden size ... and give us some facts.. like whether you want to garden under it.. soil ... etc.. for us to make good recommendations for you ...

perhaps a new post... with pertinent facts.. and away we go ...

i doubt highly.. if you stick that in the ground.. it will root ... though anything is possible ...

happy new year ....

ken

If it wasn't for EAB, most Ash trees are great "shade" trees for any garden, whether it be rural, suburban or urban.

Interesting how they behave so differently over there. They have structurally sound wood and garden friendly root systems. Perhaps you are taking about all shade tree in general for urban gardens but since this one seeds so easily overthere I see the issue.

Most British gardens do not need any more shade than our weather already provides. Basically the concept of a shade tree doesn't come into play at all when planning a garden. Ash is a very common native of our woodlands and is a lovely tree there. We do not have EAB here but recently we have acquired Ash Die Back which is a growing concern. Ash seeds around much like TOH for you and is a pain in the neck.

Most British gardens are microscopic compared with US plots and a tree the size of an ash is totally inappropriate.
We are talking about 16 houses per acre for new builds.

The RHS has a list of trees for small gardens. If Maria wants a native, Field Maple, Rowan, Crab Apple and Wild Cherry are good choices.

Here is a link that might be useful: Trees for small gardens

This post was edited by floral_uk on Mon, Dec 30, 13 at 5:29

I have a very small garden, maybe about 20x30 feet. The soil is very poor, very stoney due to my house being built on the site of an old factory.

@floral_uk, so that's why you guys cut down most of your forests long ago? lol

Ash is not good for poor, stoney soil anyway. A rowan would be a better choice, both for that kind of soil and for its smaller size. And it has leaves resembling those of ash too.

Huggorm, there is an exception. Fraxinus pennsylvanica is rampant here where the glaciers carved through and left behind sandy, very rocky soil. They absolutely murder any other tree for golden yellow fall color in these conditions.

By no means am I suggesting an ash in this individuals garden.

Whaas: Fraxinus ornus should do pretty good in such conditions too, but I guess this is a fraxinus excelsior since that is the only ash native to the UK. That is probably the most demanding tree in northen europe when it comes to soil quality, and will not be found naturally in poor, sandy soil.

Perhaps a Cornus mas selection would be appropriate. It's my understanding they originate from dry poor soils to begin with, and not much begins flowering before this species (Crocus, and Witch Hazel come to mind), at least for my location.

Arktrees