Plant Min Zone: 3a
Plant Max Zone: 9b
Sunlight: All Day Full Sun, Full Sun
Water / Rainfall: Low, Average
Soil Quality: Poor, Average
Bloom Season: Early Summer
Flower Color: Yellow
Berry / Fruit Color: Maroon, Orangish Red
Spring Foliage Color: Chartreuse, Pink
Summer Foliage Color: Chartreuse
Fall Foliage Color: Gold, Orange, Orangish Red
Evergreen Foliage: No
Winter Interest: Yes
Scented Flowers: No
Drought Tolerance: High
Wet-Feet Tolerance: Low
Humidity Tolerance: Medium
Wind Tolerance: High
Poor Soil Tolerance: Rocky Soils, Sandy Soils, Shallow Soils, Clay Soils, Alkaline Soils (high PH)
Height: 4' - 6'
Width: 4' - 6'
Growth Rate: Medium, Fast
Service Life: Long: 5-10 years
Maintenance Need: Medium
Spreading Potential: Medium
Yearly Trimming Tips: Selectively Prune into Small Tree Shape over Period of Many Years.
Plant Grouping Size: Specimen Planting of 1-3, Small Grouping of 3-5
Best Side of House: South Exposure, West Exposure, East Exposure
Extreme Planting Locations: Survives Under Roof Overhang, Survives Severe Drought, Tolerates Extreme Heat, Top of Retaining Wall Locations, Resistant to Rabbits
Ornamental Features: Multiple Seasons of Interest, Long Lasting Fall Color, Fine Texture, Exceptional / Colorful Foliage
Special Landscape Uses: Hedge Row, Erosion Control, Naturalizing
Possible Pest Problems: Root Rot Disease, Foliage Disease, Deer
Plant Limitations: Sometimes Mistaken as Weed
When Tiger Eyes® sumac (Rhus typhina 'Tiger Eyes') was released, it shocked the horticulture world with unseen beauty. It started as a random mutation from cutleaf staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina 'Laciniata') that was successfully propagated. Foliage emerges in spring as a lovely chartreuse color tinged with pink new growth and contrasting leaf petioles. Growth matures to a bright yellow golden color throughout the summer. By October, especially before and around Halloween, foliage turns bright orange with hints of red. Foliage quickly freezes and drops off for the year when temperatures reach 30 degrees F. The overall architectural shape of the shrub is attractive in winter often looking like a deciduous bonsai tree up to 6 feet tall. While the original species, staghorn sumac (R. typhina), is highly aggressive and considered invasive in the garden, the Tiger Eyes cultivar (lacking as much chlorophyll) is quite a bit less aggressive from rhizomes. Some spreading will occur each year and can be clipped off with no further efforts by the plant to spread until the following year. However if soil conditions are rich and moist, some spreading can still occur. This also makes the plant more susceptible to verticillium wilt so it's best to just avoid these kind of pampered garden conditions. We recommend planting Tiger Eyes sumac on berms, tops of retaining walls and/or non-irrigated gardens in poor/dry soils. Another good micro-climate is the hot South or West side of a house; heat and drought are never an issue with no foliage burn in our zone 6a garden of Eastern Kansas. During some years with excessive humidity and rainfall, foliage can become diseased and drop off before fall color can develop but this does not seem to hurt the plant. This problem is usually avoided if planting in good air circulation in full sun or on top of a berm. Another point of advice with Tiger Eyes sumac is to allow a few nearby shoots from the root system to grow and eventually replace the mother plant. Individual top growths will usually last about 5 to 7 years before declining and dying. A plant in our display gardens has survived 15 years using this previously described method. Nowadays, there are several different ornamental shrub choices for gold summer color and while tiger eyes sumac was one of the first, it is still a great choice. Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger' TIGER EYES® if offered for sale, are original (non-propagated) plants from Bailey Nurseries Inc.