At first glance, ash tree blossoms aren’t exactly showstoppers. Between their subtle greenish hue and the fact that they’re only a few centimeters long, they can look a bit plain. But don’t let their modest looks fool you—there’s actually a lot going on during their blooming season!
The Ash Tree Blossoms
The blossoms of the ash tree are pretty low-key. Their natural greenish color helps them blend right in, and because they’re so tiny, they don’t usually grab much attention. Interestingly, these flowers can be either:
- Hermaphroditic (having both male and female parts)
- Or single-sex.
When Do They Bloom?
Since ash trees start developing their flower buds very early in the year, the blooming season kicks off sooner than you might expect. You’ll usually see them opening up in late winter or early spring. Generally, the flowering window stays open for several weeks—or even months—typically running from March through May.
Flowers Before Foliage
One of the coolest things about the ash tree is that it usually blooms before its green leaves even start to sprout. It’s perfectly normal to see an ash tree covered in tiny blossoms while the branches are still completely bare of leaves.
Pollination: Blowing in the Wind
When it comes to reproduction, the ash tree mostly relies on the wind. In fact, it’s one of the few deciduous trees that chooses wind pollination over attracting insects or birds to do the heavy lifting.
Patience is a Virtue
Don’t expect a young ash tree to start flowering right away. It can take up to 30 years before a tree is mature enough to produce flower buds, blossoms, and eventually seeds. In the forestry world, we call this reaching “sexual maturity.”
A Tough Time for Allergy Sufferers
While gardeners might appreciate the tree, allergy sufferers usually aren’t fans of the ash blooming season. Ash pollen is notorious for triggering pretty intense allergic reactions, and these trees pump out a massive amount of it. To make matters worse, ash trees often bloom at the same time as birch trees. While either pollen type is a hassle on its own, the “double whammy” of both at once can really make spring a struggle for anyone with hay fever.
