Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Mountain Ash


The American mountain ash (sorbus americana) is a very attractive ornamental tree.  It is not a true ash.  It usually  remains rather small, the example shown here being typical for the tree in this area.

The brilliant orange berries are attractive to birds and they remain on the tree deep into the winter, long after the leaves have fallen, or until the birds have finished them off!

Noting this tree today was a reminder of another orange fruit which will be ready soon, the persimmon!  We have to have a frost, though, before that fruit is edible.  And it sure hasn't felt like frost anytime recently, for sure.

6 comments:

Lin said...

The mountain ash is a short-lived tree though, no? Our neighbor had one--I loved that tree.

Shelly said...

Love the vibrant berries, and I can see why the birds would, too~

Secondary Roads said...

We have one in front of our house. Unfortunately, it is looking rather sickly this year.

Sharkbytes said...

The ash are so pretty! Too far north for persimmons here!

Grace said...

Persimmons? You have access to fresh persimmons? Be still my beating heart! I haven't had a decent persimmon in more years than I care to remember...Added to that is the fact that here on the East coast, a small, hard, nasty ole persimmon sells for $3 or more - for just one!

vanilla said...

Lin, apparently short-lived. I planted one for my mother-in-law about thirty years ago. It is no longer there. Beautiful while it lasted, though. (I don't really know; perhaps subsequent owner removed it before its time?)

Shelly, they are just all-around pretty trees, in my estimation.

Chuck, sorry to hear the tree isn't looking too good. Perhaps it'll rebound. I had a purple ash I was ready to remove two years ago. Now it is the prettiest tree in the yard.

Sharkey, you need to make a persimmon run down this way. They'll start dropping as soon as we get frost. But since yesterday was the hottest day of 2013 to date, who knows when that'll happen?

Grace, I do so wish I could fulfill your desire for a fresh persimmon, but that seems unlikely, given the intervening miles. Processed fruit is a bit expensive even here. A pint of pureed pulp goes for about $12. But I do my own, and it is labor-intensive.