fragrant sumac
Rhus aromatica
USDA zones3 to 9
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size2 to 6 feet tall6 to 10 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Yellow
- Foliage color
- Blue, green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica) is a shrub for hedges, ground cover, and meadow plantings. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to moist, sandy, loamy, or clay soil. Its glossy leaves turn orange, red, purple, and yellow in fall, and dark-red berries feed birds into winter. It spreads by suckers to form thickets, so give it room. Deer and rabbits tend to pass it by.
Pairs well with Little bluestem, New Jersey tea, and Indian grass.
Native range
North America.