Wedgwood in northeast Seattle enjoys the autumn colors of leaves in October and November.  Street trees called Flame Ash will turn a deep red along 35th Ave NE.

Street trees in Wedgwood’s business district on 35th Ave NE.

The Flame Ash street trees which line 35th Ave NE were planted between 1970 to 1972, and are maintained by Urban Forestry of Seattle’s Department of Transportation.

Flame Ash is a “cultivar” meaning that the trees were grown to have the wanted characteristics and that all the trees in the group would look the same.   Related varieties are Raywood and Marshall Seedless, which were planted on NE 125th Street from Lake City westward to Roosevelt Way NE.

Find a map of Seattle street trees on the City site here.

Wedgwood’s row of Flame Ash trees begins in the heart of the business district at NE 84th Street and continues northward to NE 137th Street where 35th Ave NE merges with Lake City Way NE.  As the rainy season begins, the riot of color of Wedgwood’s trees gives us a warm burst of enthusiasm and enjoyment of the season.

Flame Ash trees along 35th Ave NE in the Wedgwood neighborhood of northeast Seattle.

Unfortunately a big storm on November 19, 2024, caused a row of the trees to fall, most especially between NE 100th to 105th Streets along 35th Ave NE.  In January 2025 the City’s street department repaired damaged sidewalks where trees had tipped over, roots and all, breaking up the sidewalks.  It remains to be seen if the City will be able to plant new street trees there.  It can be seen that in recent years, a different variety, pin oak, is being planted instead of flame ash.

In recent years pin oak trees have been planted along 35th Ave NE. They are a smaller variety of tree and they withstood the big storm of November 19, 2024. Photo by Valarie, looking northward on 35th Ave NE at NE 100th Street.