Anybody have a Staghorn Sumac tree?

6 years ago

I see them ALL over my area. All over! But they're always on the property's edge, near the road. Nobody has them like next to their house or anything.

I think there beautiful, and I love their exotic look. I've read they grow easily, and apparently so, since they thrive in my area.

Does anyone have experiences with them?

Featured Answer

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

6 years ago

Fall colour is often unimpressive in my climate but Rhus typhina never fails.

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Comments (10)

Embothrium
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Inclined to sucker and form colonies. So people may be banishing them to the fringe for that reason. Or maybe they are native to your area, and are/were growing on properties you have seen them on naturally. And viewed as part of the native "brush", kept out of the main garden as a result.
ilovemytrees thanked Embothrium
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
We have a large clump of it that volunteered on a slope that's too steep to mow with the tractor, so we have left it, just cutting back suckers around the outside borders of the clump so it doesn't get too huge. There's also a long strip of it along the edge of the woodland at the town elementary school.

It's great favorite of mine - winter food for the birds, good nesting habitat, unique texture/appearance, and stunning fall color and I am tickled pink that we had some volunteer in such a perfect spot. IMO however, it is a case of right plant, right place. I wouldn't plant it right next to a building since it would end up growing up against the building as it suckered, and I wouldn't plant it in a garden bed, also due to the suckering. Where it has a bit of room to spread it's a great plant, but I don't think I'd grow it in a suburban yard since it would require a lot of attention to keep it to a reasonable space.

It's an early succession plant in this area, and we did remove it from one of the fields that we didn't want to grow back to forest. Mowing has kept it in check without any problems both on our property and at the school.
ilovemytrees thanked NHBabs z4b-5a NH
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
6 years ago
They are often used for freeway verge plantings in my area as they require virtually no maintenance and are extremely drought tolerant once established. And the suckering is not an issue :-))

Fall color is often breath-taking.
ilovemytrees thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
they seem to have colonized hundreds of not thousands of miles of MI road easements .... only to be taken over by other invasives like russian olives ...

there was a recent muti colored version out a few years back.. the name of which is escaping me ... but seem to recall.. peeps started complaining about those a few years later.. as being a bit too aggressive in their garden beds ...tiger something or another ... see link ...

you might have the space to get away from it.. as long as you constantly mowed the lawn around it.. to keep it contained ...

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Rhus+tiger&t=ffcm&ia=web
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
btw.. i thinks its a shrub ... so i wonder if you would love it.. like you love trees.. lol

ken
ilovemytrees thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
L Clark (zone 4 WY)
6 years ago
How can a native plant be an invasive?

I quite like them. I actually just planted one and hope it suckers and fills up its space soon.
ninecrow
6 years ago
I'm Stratifying Some Sumac Seeds Right Now Hope They Grow...
treeguy_ny USDA z6a WNY
6 years ago
They grow wild on my property, and sucker freely! A nice little filler tree. The fall color is always a brilliant red. When grown by themselves (i.e. suckers removed), they can make a very nice looking small tree. The ripe red berries can be used to make a lemonade-like beverage if soaked in water, just strain the little hairs out before consuming!
kitasei
6 years ago
If you're ever in the NYC area, you can see how it was used by Marco Stefano at Wave Hill as a striking (and at the time radical) element in the alpine garden.