Fragrant sumac
Rhus aromatica · Anacardiaceae
A dense, tangled shrub with three-part leaves that smell of citrus when crushed and turn orange, red and purple in autumn. Fuzzy red fruits follow small yellow flowers.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 8 ft wide
- Zones
- 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to late April
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around fragrant sumac
The planner designed this bed around fragrant sumac when this page was made: a 22 × 10 ft (6.7 × 3.0 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 341 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why fragrant sumac stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Fragrant sumac × 1, yellow
- 2 Bloody cranesbill × 8, pink
- 3 Leadwort × 16, blue
- 4 Golden Japanese euonymus × 1, variegated leaves
- 5 Brown-eyed Susan × 8, yellow
- 6 Blue wood aster × 3, lavender
- 7 Bergenia 'Winter Glow' × 3, red
- 8 Leatherleaf sedge × 4, bronze leaves
- 9 Creeping phlox × 3, purple
- 10 Dwarf crested iris × 57, white
- 11 Lowbush blueberry × 13, white
- 12 Easter lily × 5, white
- 13 Grape hyacinth × 10, blue
- 14 Red spider lily × 3, red
Why this plant
- Nothing here is unique to it. Its leaf, flower shape and colour are all on the plan already. Its case rests on where it stands and when it performs.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 ft it is one of the taller plants here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to brown-eyed Susan (4 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for three weeks. From mid April to late April.
- Part of the bed's peak. With bergenia 'Winter Glow', creeping phlox, dwarf crested iris and others in late April: 5 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 12 of the 15 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Low plants run along 98% of the front edge. The scheme leans cool (pink, blue, lavender and purple) and uses yellow and red for warmth, with white to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 15 Excellent, 2 Good.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where fragrant sumac goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The species of which 'Gro-Low' is the dwarf. It covers large, dry, difficult banks and feeds birds through winter. Not poisonous, despite a look of poison ivy.
- Covering large, dry banks
- Autumn colour
- Wildlife hedgerows
What to plant with fragrant sumac
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Little bluestem: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Aromatic aster 'October Skies': carries the spot on into late October; low enough (20 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Eastern prickly pear: carries the spot on into early July; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about fragrant sumac
Does fragrant sumac need sun or shade?
Fragrant sumac grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does fragrant sumac grow in?
USDA zones 3 to 9. It is hardy to zone 3, which means it survives winter nights down to about −30 °F (−34 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does fragrant sumac flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to late April. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 3 | Late April to early May |
|---|---|
| Zone 4 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 5 | Mid April to late April |
| Zone 6 | Early April to mid April |
| Zone 7 | Late March to mid April |
| Zone 8 | Late March to early April |
| Zone 9 | Mid March to late March |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should fragrant sumac be planted?
6½ ft (200 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 8 ft (250 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many fragrant sumac plants do I need?
Usually one. At 6½ ft (200 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 6½ ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is fragrant sumac poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat fragrant sumac?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer and rabbits. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
Will fragrant sumac spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by suckers and by branches that root where they touch the ground. Suited to banks and large areas.
What flowers after fragrant sumac?
Fragrant sumac is over by late April. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Blue false indigo: from late May to mid June, 4 ft tall.
- Lupine: from late May to early July, 3½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Bearded iris: from late May to mid June, 2½ ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does fragrant sumac look like in winter?
Fragrant sumac drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is fragrant sumac good for bees and butterflies?
Fragrant sumac is visited by bees, butterflies, moths and songbirds.
It is native to the United States.
More Rhus
- Fragrant sumac 'Gro-Low' Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low'
- Staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' Rhus typhina 'Tiger Eyes'
- Winged sumac Rhus copallinum
In these guides
- Plants for dry shade
- Plants that grow near black walnut
- Plants for slopes and banks
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Rabbit-resistant plants
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Pet-safe plants for shade
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants that feed garden birds
Zone guides: Zone 3 · Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
In flower in: April
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 8 ft (250 cm) wide
- Plant
- 6½ ft (200 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid April to late April; dense clusters; yellow
- Leaves
- Medium texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Rounded, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 3 to 9
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Anacardiaceae
- Comes from
- North America--Eastern Canada to Mexico
- Attracts
- Bees, butterflies, moths, songbirds
- Stands up to
- Deer, rabbits, drought, black walnut, erosion
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.