Golden Acre Home & Garden Centre's Plant Library

Other Names:  Rhus trilobata

Description:

A rugged and durable medium-sized shrub with interesting foliage turning brilliant colors in fall and bright yellow flowers in spring; tends to sucker, forming a dense spreading mass, attractive for a garden background or for naturalizing, good in shade

Ornamental Features

Fragrant Sumac has yellow flowers along the branches from early to mid spring. It has green deciduous foliage. The serrated compound leaves turn an outstanding orange in the fall. The brick red fruits are held in clusters from late summer to late fall.

Landscape Attributes

Fragrant Sumac is a dense multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering

Fragrant Sumac is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Groundcover
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Fragrant Sumac will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 25 years.

This shrub performs well in both full sun and full shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under typical garden conditions. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is native to parts of North America.