Gro-Low Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low'
The ground cover for brutal dry slopes: a dense, weed-suppressing mat that spreads six to eight feet and holds through drought and neglect.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
The native groundcover for hot, dry slopes that would kill everything else. and it turns orange-red in fall.
Gro-Low fragrant sumac is the native ground cover for brutal sites. Dry slopes, highway banks, sandy slopes in full sun where nothing else wants to be: this is where it thrives. The cultivar stays eighteen to thirty inches tall but spreads six to eight feet wide, forming a dense, weed-suppressing mat that holds slopes in place through erosion, drought, and neglect. The fragrance is the surprise. Crush a leaf and you get a sharp, resinous, almost citrusy scent. Small yellow flower clusters in early spring come before the leaves, providing first-of-season nectar for native bees. The fall color is deep orange to red. In winter, small red berries are taken by birds. There's almost no scenario where this plant fails: it's the definition of tough and giving at the same time.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown gro-low 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 gro-low fragrant sumac instead of Crown vetch (Coronilla varia) for slope stabilization. Same job in the garden, without the spread.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 1.5–2.5 ft · 5–8 ft wide
- Bloom time
- Early spring
- USDA zones
- 3–9
- Family
- Anacardiaceae
- Native range
- Eastern and central North America from Vermont to Florida, west to Idaho (straight species)
Care notes for gro-low fragrant sumac.
Full sun and dry, well-drained to dry soil is the ideal. The drier and leaner the site, the better this plant looks. Tolerates clay and average soils but doesn't need them. Once established, irrigation is counterproductive. No pruning needed; if it spreads beyond its allotted space, cut back in early spring for fresh new growth.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside gro-low fragrant sumac.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.