Staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes'
Rhus typhina 'Tiger Eyes' · Anacardiaceae Popular
Deeply cut, ferny leaves that open chartreuse, turn bright yellow on fuzzy, rose-pink stems, and end the year in orange and scarlet. It is slower and smaller than the wild sumac.
- Size
- 6 ft tall, 6 ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late June to mid July
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes'
The planner designed this bed around staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' × 1, green
- 2 Verbena 'Homestead Purple' × 4, purple
- 3 Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' × 25, pink
- 4 Fernleaf yarrow 'Cloth of Gold' × 3, yellow
- 5 Southernwood × 3, grey-green leaves
- 6 Wild lupine × 11, blue
- 7 Allium 'Globemaster' × 5, purple
- 8 Persian fritillary × 5, purple
- 9 Star of Persia × 4, purple
Why this plant
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only plumes. The others are dense clusters, flat plates, spires and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only green. Green sits between stronger colours and calms them.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 6 ft it is the tallest plant 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 southernwood (3½ 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 four weeks. From late June to mid July.
- Part of the bed's peak. With verbena 'Homestead Purple', Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch', fernleaf yarrow 'Cloth of Gold' and others in late June: 7 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 9 groups (67%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The flowering is at its height in late June, with 7 kinds out together. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 51% of the visual weight and the right half 49%.
The planner's own design check: 9 Excellent, 7 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' goes in a border
At 6 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is very tall (5 to 6½ ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
A plant of strong character: gold, lacy and architectural, with a branching outline in winter like antlers. Use one. It suckers less than the species, but it does sucker.
- A golden focal point
- An exotic look in a cold climate
- Autumn colour
What to plant with staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Russian sage: happy in the same dry soil.
- Sedum 'Autumn Joy': takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid August; bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- 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.
Questions about staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes'
Does staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' need sun or shade?
Staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
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 staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late June to mid July. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Late June to mid July |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late June to mid July |
| Zone 6 | Late June to mid July |
| Zone 7 | Mid June to early July |
| Zone 8 | Mid June to early July |
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 staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 ft (180 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 6 ft (180 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' 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 staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes'?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
Will staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is moderate. Spreads by suckers into a wider clump. Remove the outer shoots to contain it.
What flowers after staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes'?
Staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' is over by mid July. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Russian sage: from mid July to mid September, 4 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Hardy hibiscus: from late July to mid September, 5 ft tall.
- Tiger lily: from late July to late August, 4 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' look like in winter?
Staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' good for bees and butterflies?
Staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' is visited by pollinators, butterflies, moths and songbirds.
It is a host plant: the caterpillars of spring azure and luna moth feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.
It is native to the United States and Canada (this is a named variety of the native plant).
More Rhus
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
- Fragrant sumac 'Gro-Low' Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low'
- Winged sumac Rhus copallinum
In these guides
- Plants for slopes and banks
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Garden plants native to Canada
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants that feed garden birds
- Host plants for the spring azure
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 6 ft (180 cm) tall, 6 ft (180 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Very tall (5 to 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late June to mid July; feathery plumes; green
- Leaves
- Fine texture, deciduous; chartreuse
- Shape
- Upright, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Anacardiaceae
- Comes from
- Eastern North America
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies, moths, songbirds
- Host plant for
- Spring azure, Luna moth
- Stands up to
- Drought, erosion
Checked against NC State Extension. 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.