Smooth Sumac Shrub

The Sumac has spectacular colors and endless appeal! An American native shrub or small tree, the colony-forming plants are known for their ability to naturalize! The combination of their unique spires of red berries, Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra) is a staple in just about all geographical locations around the US!

They are absolutely beautiful additions to any garden and are sure to brighten up any afternoon with the colorful birds the berries will attract. Backed by a tropical flourish of highly compound green foliage, laid out in a symmetrical pattern along the branches.

The Smooth Sumac is a deciduous shrub that has short, crooked, trunks with charming. Interspersed throughout the bush are cones of petite red berries that add a wonderful splash of color. The form can be trained into a pretty tree form with some training and pruning!

The interest doesn't end there though, as fall takes hold, this bush will turn a stunning shade of red to add a second season of color! You'll love the brilliant look of the Smooth Sumac as it transitions from green to scarlet in your garden!

This showy edible and medicinal plant has many uses, some dating back hundreds of years! Native Americans would collect young sprouts and use them as salads. Nowadays, the berries are more widely used than the plant itself as they can be chewed on to quench thirst or prepared as a drink similar to lemonade!

Planting and Application:

This Smooth Sumac won't just be delightful to you; Butterflies will love to stop by and check out the yellow-green flowers while songbirds will create a constant flutter in your garden as they stop to snack on the berries. If you like to birdwatch, this shrub is an absolute must-have! Great for creating habitat and native ecosystem shelterbelts.

This specimen is truly a versatile shrub. Use it as a border or as a foundation plant in your garden. Sumac is simply a spectacular fall garden plant! Use one on a corner of your home for a showy anchor, or native focal point in the sun garden.

These native American shrubs or small trees will expand by root suckering to create a wide-spreading plant. Read the Plant Highlights to see how far each plant will spread. This plant helps in soil conservation, and Sumac will create the most amazing drifts of brilliant fall color. It is an ideal choice when used en masse along the edge of a woodland area or in groupings to shelter and feed birds and wildlife!

If you have a steep hill on your property, please turn it into a focal point in your landscape. After all, it's far safer and more attractive to use a naturalized planting of Sumac for cover, than to try to grow and mow turf on a steep slope. These colonizing shrubs also help control erosion on hillsides and along the banks and can be Xeric once established!

• Showy Tropical Highly Compound Leaves
• Attracts Tons of Butterflies
• Native Shrub or Tree
• Edible & Bird-Friendly Red Berries
• Brilliant Fall Colors
• Native Habitat, Hedges, Erosion, Screening & Specimens

#ProPlantTips for Care:

The deciduous Sumac Shrub is one of the easiest and hardiest plants to have in your garden. It thrives in dry, well-drained, soils and full sun. It's no wonder the Smooth Sumac is the only shrub to be native to all 48 of the contiguous United States growing zones 3 to 9!

Provide regular water during new plants' first years in the ground, but once established, Sumac are drought tolerant! Mulch keeps weed competition down and holds moisture in the soil more evenly while protecting the roots from heat and chill.

Prune when dormant to control size and shape. If you'd like, you can rejuvenate these shrubs by cutting them back to the ground mid-winter, however, this is not necessary to maintain a healthy shrub.

• Full Sun Shrubs
• Well-Drained Soil
• Moderate to Low Moisture Needs
• Prune Or Cut Down When Dormant
• Hardy Drought-Tolerant Deciduous Native

Native hardiness, red fruit and fall color, fine textured exotic-looking leaves, and tough resilience! You'll be rewarded with stunning colors and singing birds for years to come. Order a Smooth Sumac from Nature Hills Nursery today!