Fraxinus excelsior cv. Aurea

Scientific name: Fraxinus excelsior cv. Aurea

Common name: Golden Ash

Family: Oleaceae

Location

Be greeted by this golden globe in the centre of the second Car Park area! You may also encounter this vibrant beauty on the Formal Garden path from the herbaceous perennial borders to the Plant Explorers Walk, or, you may see its contrast to full effect against dark green rhododendron leaves among the Brunet plantings.

The Golden Ash is a slow growing form of the Common European Ash; our car park specimen was planted in November 1992. The ash is native to Europe [from Britain to the Caucasus] and, being much prized for its timber qualities, it has been cultivated for centuries. With roots spreading to the domain of the gods and its branches reaching to the ends of the universe, the ash is the ‘world-tree’ from Norse mythology from which the first man was carved. The ability to find ‘life partners’, to protect the carrier from harm and to cure earache are among its many recorded attributes.