NICE! Plant of the Month
(Rhus virens)
Image courtesy of Uvalde Research and Extension
Center, Texas A&M University System
Description:
Evergreen Sumac grows as a multi-trunked shrub or small tree, reaching a height of 8 to 12 feet. The glossy, dark green leaves are evergreen through winter, dropping in early spring as new leaves appear. Leaves are shiny and somewhat rosy pink in spring. After frost, they can become maroon colored until they drop. Clusters of honey-scented, white flowers appear in late summer, which are very attractive to bees and butterflies. Orange-red fuzzy berries develop in fall and can remain on the plant through Christmas. The berries are valuable food for birds and small mammals. Evergreen Sumac occurs in gullies and dry hillsides in the Edwards Plateau and Trans-Pecos, and Northern Mexico.
Deer Resistance:
This shrub is often browsed, especially where the deer have become overpopulated.
Planting Sites:
Plant on well-drained sites in part shade to full sun. Soil may be sand, loam, clay, caliche, limestone, or igneous. Do not overwater or plant under sprinkler irrigation where it will be watered with the lawn.
Planting Instructions:
Space plants 8 feet apart. Dig hole at least 2 times wider, but the same depth as the nursery container. Carefully remove tree from container, taking care not to disturb the root ball. Plant at the same depth as the soil in the container. Do not add any soil to the top of the root ball. Adding a layer of 3-4 inches of mulch after planting is desirable.
Watering Instructions:
If planting in spring: Water in well after planting, using root stimulator according to directions. Water deeply every 7-10 days, checking an inch or two into soil at edge of root ball to determine soil moisture. Skip a watering after a rainfall of ½ to 1 inch.
First fall/winter:
Maintain this watering schedule until the first fall after planting. Reduce water during fall and winter. In a “normal” year, no watering may be necessary in fall and winter, but during a dry period, monthly watering may be desirable.
Second spring and thereafter:
Water monthly only in periods of drought. Once established, Evergreen Sumac will survive with little supplemental irrigation. It requires only 10-20 inches of water per year.
Other care:
Needs little care. Can be trimmed and takes well to hedging, but is most attractive when allowed to grow naturally, removing only unwanted branches.
NICE! Tip:
Use instead of non-native large hollies such as Nellie Stevens or Burford, Red Tip Photinia, Ligustrum, or Privet.
Look for the NICE! Plant of the Month signs and information sheets on your next visit to a participating Boerne nursery. And thank you for supporting native plants by using them in your landscapes.