Wafer Ash

Pretty tri-lobed leaves, the Wafer Ash Tree (Ptelea trifoliata) is also known as the Common Hop Tree, but you'll be glad to learn about this hardy native! Grown as either a tall shrub or small tree, the unique leaves and fragrant blooms add to these deciduous plant's allure!

In late spring, the flowers appear as small, greenish-white clusters before becoming clusters of winged seeds that resemble Elm Tree in the late summer, adding color contrast among the dark green foliage. Pollinators and beneficial insects are drawn to these blooms. Wafer-Ash foliage then turns a pleasing yellow in fall. Members of the Rue and Citrus family, it has a slightly citrusy, musky, or skunky smell when crushed, giving rise to common names like Skunk Bush.

Called the Hop tree because early American brewers used the fruit as a substitute for hops when brewing beer, these persistent papery wafers dangle until eaten by birds and squirrels, that will adore you for planting this wonderful native shrub.

Growing throughout USDA hardiness zones 4 to 9, these widely adaptable shrubby multi-trunked trees are found growing throughout a wide variety of moist to dry sites in the understory or the sun!

Planting and Application:

A handsome smaller tree, the Wafer Ash adds its shiny leaves to hedges and mixed borders! Its thorns can be daunting and its natural growth habit can be both informal and trimmed as a manicured landscaping plant! Making it a versatile hedgerow and barrier planting for privacy - deterring trespassers - both two and four-legged!

With a touch of pruning, you can sculpt Wafer Ash into a small tree. Either way, your backyard songbirds will find its thorny, dense branching the perfect haven to roost, nest, and forage in for food. Handling shade of all kinds, these trees are wonderful understory additions that won't mind basking beneath the canopy of larger trees.

• Fragrant Flower Clusters & Papery Seed Pods
• Shiny Scented Foliage
• Dense Thorny Growth
• Hardy Native - Tree or Shrub Form
• Supports Local Bird Populations
• Understory, Hedges, Shelterbelts, Barriers & Accent Plants

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Wafer Ash Trees grow equally well in part sun or full shade, which makes it an ideal understory tree. Tolerant of a wide array of soil types and hardy in a wide range of growing zones. Not minding rocky and dry soil or well-drained high moisture locations, these slower-growing trees are wonderfully low-maintenance! Rarely damaged by Deer, the thorns so their duty to stop browsing wildlife unless they're truly desperate. Prune when the flowers are done to shape or train your shrub into a tree or hedge with ease!

• Partial Shade & Full Shade
• Almost Any Well-Drained Soil
• Wide Range of Moisture Adaptability
• Prune After Flowering
• Low-Maintenance & Deer Resistant

The bird-friendly shade-loving native, the lovely Wafer Ash Tree will screen and protect your landscape without requiring much work from you! Provide backyard habitat and food resources for wildlife with NatureHills.com today!