Many of the more astute Mill Avenue dwellers have noticed a tree planting frenzy occurring on our beloved “Main Street” in Downtown Tempe.

Over the years, some of the great Ficus trees that shade Mill Avenue have succumb to our Summer Monsoons, vandalism, insects, or the crazy micro-burst thunderstorm last year that clocked winds up to 100 miles an hour!  The new trees are replacing the large holes and stumps where the previous Ficus once stood.  While that may be obvious, what is not so obvious is that the new trees planted will drastically change the look of Mill Avenue come Fall.  The new trees are the “Chinese Pistache” tree and according to web sources “The leaves of the Chinese Pistache are lustrous and dark green in the summer and a beautiful orange to red in the fall.”

While some of our Ficus trees are still standing grand and tall, the plan is to replace the Ficus with the Chinese Pistache as the Ficus age.  There is no doubt that this new burst of color along Mill Avenue will insure that the already popular street will become even more popular during the fall and winter months.  Way to go City of Tempe!