Out in the Cold

I enjoy reading mainstream gardening magazines. There are neat gardening tricks submitted by other subscribers, and I can glean some neat design ideas. Most of the time I end up wishing my yard looked like the ones in the fabulous pictures.

But when it comes to plant suggestions for that odd corner in the yard or the curb appeal revamp, I usually end up feeling left out. Clearly the magazines are written by people who do not live any further north than Zone 5. This ends up leaving us in all points north, well, out in the cold. Usually these magazines are good at offering alternatives, such as substituting winterberry for holly. But could you just help me out a little on finding a replacement for Sarcococca? I don't even know what that is!

Just today I was reading an article about which roses developed by a certain person are suitable for the various regions in the U.S. The little map for the "Cold Midwest, Northeast and Mountain West" shaded in states and provinces that were in Zones 2-5.

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Of the five roses suggested, one was a Zone 4; the rest were Zone 5. What about the rest of us? You included them in your little map! You even have cold in the blessed title! Why bother implying that people in Zone 2 might be able to have this really neat plant if you're not going to list a plant that will live in Zone 2? Sorry Canada, I guess you're out of luck.

My favorite one is about over-wintering pansies. Who wouldn't like to have their pansies from last fall pop up in the spring? Then I got to this sentence: "In photo A you can see how I pulled back the mulch in late February so plants won't rot."

Oh, to be able to do anything related to gardening in February!

I don't know about you, but here in Zone 4, pulling back mulch in late February is going to require:

a snow shovel,

and a jack hammer.

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No Taming the Tiger

Few plants are as indestructible as sumac. Tough as nails, it will grow anywhere, you can't dig it up (without a backhoe, that is), you certainly can't pull any of the suckers up, cut it down and it grows right back. It lines roadsides, stabilizes slopes, and puts on a fabulous color show in autumn. There is just one problem - it suckers like it's trying to take over the world. Maybe it is.

For decades the main sumacs available were staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina),

and smooth sumac (Rhus glabra).

These two species sucker like the dickens. This trait has historically hurt sumac's retail nursery sales; unless you were the DOT or had a back forty where it could roam happily, very few "average homeowners" every bought the plant.

The only other alternative was Gro-Low Sumac (Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low').

Definitely more landscapable than staghorn or smooth, but Gro-Low still tends to create colonies as well. 

Enter Tiger Eyes Sumac (Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger').

Not only is Tiger Eyes much smaller (6 feet / 1.8 m high & wide) than staghorn and smooth sumac (both 10 feet / 3 m high and colonizing) it has bright yellow foliage with a slight cutleaf...

oooh....

and a bright orange fall color to boot.

ahhh...

And the best part? It doesn't sucker! What? That's amazing! The general gardening public instantly fell in love and garden centers could barely keep the plant stocked. Tiger Eyes was planted in garden beds, next to front doors, and generally showcased as the featured specimen in countless landscapes. I was working at a garden center when Tiger Eyes was released in 2004-2005 and readily admitted that it was a beautiful plant. But my eyebrows certainly raised when I heard the claim of it being sucker-less. It's a sumac; suckering is what sumacs do. My manager shared my skepticism and said that only time will tell.

Fast forward about four years.

Hey! What's that near my Tiger Eyes sumac? There's another one. And another! Is that....? It is! A baby Tiger Eyes sumac. Yes, the Wonder Sumac that doesn't sucker, does in fact sucker, and is beginning to set up colonies, even popping up on the other side of sidewalks.

:::cough::: I told you so.

Granted, Tiger Eyes does not sucker as aggressively as the species, so it is more manageable. Besides, if your landscaping allows it, a bonus Tiger Eyes is always great. The new plant coming up from the sucker is essentially a clone of the parent plant, so it will share all the ornamental features that Tiger Eyes boasts.

Recently a new highway was built in my area. Last year they completed the landscaping of the berms, hills, and clover leaf centers. Naturally they used staghorn sumac. But I couldn't help but notice the new addition to the DOT plant pallette:

Tiger Eyes Sumac.

*all photos are courtesy of Google Images.