Festive orange and red berries adorn evergreen sumac
Every year I renew my fan-club membership for evergreen sumac (Rhus virens), a fine native shrub or small tree. What’s not to love? It sports handsome, shiny, nearly evergreen leaves, grows in sun or shade, attracts bees in late summer with sprays of tiny, white flowers, and decks itself out in winter with fuzzy, orange and red berries. Plus, once established it never needs watering, although an occasional deep soak will help it grow faster.
Birds feast on the berries, so planting evergreen sumac is a good way to attract them in winter.
I planted this one as a one-gallon several years ago, and it’s just now getting some height and putting on berries. In the background you can see a large evergreen sumac, which we were fortunate to inherit with the house. In past winters I’ve observed a screech owl roosting in it, camouflaging itself amid the leaves. Now that we’re approaching nesting season for screeches again, I’m always scanning the trees and bushes for a fierce, little face and bark-colored body. It won’t be long.
All material © 2006-2014 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Oooh, those berrries are so pretty. We planted a few of these last year and I can’t wait until they grow up and produce berrries like that. Meanwhile I’ll maintain my fan club membership too.
It’s like trying to be patient while Texas mountain laurel gets big enough to bloom. —Pam
Another plant native to both our vastly different areas, just up the mountain from me. I often use it in designs when there’s more space…berries plus a touch of red or orange to leaf edges in more exposed sites here…festive…
Yes, the leaves turn burgundy in full sun. Mine is in shade, so it stays green. Either way it’s a great screening shrub. —Pam
All sumacs are definitely not created equal. The one I planted (S vulgaris should have been a dead giveaway) suckers like crazy and fails to give me the blazing fall color I was after. Yours is a beauty.
Bummer about the suckering, Ricki. Our evergreen sumac doesn’t give blazing color, as the common name indicates. However, we do have another native sumac in central Texas with great fall color, flameleaf sumac (Rhus lanceolata). It too can sucker. Still, I planted it in my former garden and enjoyed those fall leaves. —Pam
All the Sumacs have such great personalities and most have gorgeous fall foliage, too. The berries on this one are perfect decoration for this time of year. Beautiful!
They do have great personalities, don’t they? And some more welcome than others, as Ricki points out in her comment above! —Pam
Simply gorgeous -these sumac are a bit like yaupon on steroids with their larger leaves and berries both. To my inexpert eye ALL the berrying trees in our area are putting on an unusually abundant display this year. Won’t it be grand if the wildflowers follow suit this coming Spring!!
Oh, I do hope so, Deb! Though it would almost be an embarrassment of riches. —Pam
I love those leaves. What a handsome shrub! I’ll bet all those berries make for some great bird watching in fall and winter!
I’ll be on the lookout. But winter is really prime time for screech owl watching in my garden. 🙂 —Pam