Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Citrus-scented foliage, first-of-spring nectar for native bees, and weeks of orange-red fall color. Birds take the fuzzy berries into winter.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Sep 248 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Sep 258 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Sep 268 AM – 2 PM
Aromatic native shrub with first-of-spring blooms for bees, fall color, and bird-feeding berries. in dry sites that challenge everything else.
Fragrant sumac is a medium-sized native shrub that earns every square foot it occupies. Crush a leaf and you get that sharp, resinous, citrus-adjacent fragrance immediately. In early spring, yellow flower clusters appear before the leaves, providing some of the first nectar of the season for native bees that have just emerged from overwintering. The three-lobed leaves are clean and attractive through summer. Come fall, the plant turns deep orange to red in a display that holds for weeks on dry slopes and open edges. The fuzzy red berries that follow are eaten by birds from fall through early winter. It spreads by root suckers to form loose, naturalistic colonies, excellent for slope stabilization and naturalized edges where a single-stem shrub would look out of place. This is the standard species; 'Gro-Low' is the more compact cultivar. Both are exceptional.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown fragrant sumac propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
Plant fragrant sumac instead of Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) on dry slopes. Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 3–6 ft · 5–10 ft wide
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Anacardiaceae
- Native range
- Eastern and central North America from Vermont to Florida, west to Idaho and Texas
Care notes for fragrant sumac.
Full sun to light shade in dry, well-drained to average soil. Tolerates clay, sand, and rocky conditions. Drought tolerant once established. Spreads by suckering; remove suckers or let the colony expand depending on the setting. No fertilization needed. Cut hard to the ground in late winter every few years to keep growth dense and fresh.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside fragrant sumac.
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