Staghorn Sumac A Stunning Addition to Your Landscape

The staghorn sumac is a fast-growing, winter-hardy ornamental, often cultivated for its brilliant autumn foliage and showy fruit. This shrub flowers from May through July, producing terminal patches of small, greenish-white to yellow flowers, after which point it will produce fuzzy, bright-red berries, which ripen from June through September. In winter, this shrub's stout, hairy twigs have often been compared to deer antlers covered in velvet, from which it receives its alternate common name.

Staghorn Sumac does best in full sun to part shade and typically ranges from U.S.D.A. zones 3 through 8. It can reach up to 30 feet. This tree is drought-tolerant and capable of growing in locations and soil types other plants may not tolerate, including poor and dry soils. Improperly drained soils, however, will negatively impact its growth. Generally, cultivators rarely encounter a few issues with either pests or diseases when raising this shrub. 

How to Care for and Grow Staghorn Sumac in Your Garden

Due to its suckering habit, it is best grown in informal and naturalized areas, such as open woodland areas or wood margins, where it can be spread and form colonies. Their complex root systems allow suckering shrubs like this to control soil erosion and are especially effective when massed on slopes. 

Why Staghorn Sumac is Perfect for Creating Natural Privacy Screens

It provides unique benefits to local wildlife, as its berries persist from late summer through spring. During the winter, it is a preferred food source for many species, including several varieties of woodland and songbirds. In the spring, its flowers attract honeybees, and these insects can also use materials from the shrubs in construction. The berries of the staghorn sumac can be harvested and used to prepare a type of pink lemonade, often called "Indian lemonade." In contrast, all parts of this, except its roots, may be used to produce a natural dye.

This Is How Your Plants Will Look upon Delivery

Plant bare root trees during the dormant season in early spring or late fall (November through April). Dig the hole twice as wide as the roots so the soil is well-drained. Position the tree so the root flare is at or just above ground level. Fill the hole back with the soil you dug from and water. Maintain soil moisture, especially in the tree's early years, by providing deep, regular watering. Apply a 2-4 inch mulch away from the trunk at the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Prune trees during the first few seasons to establish strength and resilience, remove damaged branches, and continue maintenance pruning as the tree matures. Regularly inspect for pests and diseases and apply integrated pest management practices. Protect young trees from mechanical damage and extreme temperatures with tree guards, and stake them if necessary for support, removing the stakes after one or two years.

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