Plant Profile: Tiger Eyes Sumac
Staghorn sumac is a large treelike shrub native to the eastern edge of Minnesota, Wisconsin and much of southeastern Canada. Tall with an umbrella habit as it matures, stagorn or cutleaf sumac is a great choice for larger, wilder landscapes. Birds love it and the fruits can be used for everything from dyes to lemonade. But it has a few characteristics home gardeners resent: It is large (16-feet-tall by 20 feet wide), it sends up sprouts everywhere and (as I well know) a mature staghorn sumac can be easily uprooted in high winds.
With these disadvantages in mind, breeders created Tiger Eyes™ sumac (Rhus typhina ‘Bailtiger’), a chartruese-leaved, shorter variety that adds a striking presence to foundation beds and other garden spaces. The bright color of Tiger Eyes makes it a perfect focal point or use a row or clump of them to draw the eye toward a section of the garden. Its horizontal form makes it a good addition to Asian-influenced garden areas. In addition to the chartreuse to gold color it has in summer, Tiger Eyes has a bright reddish orange color in fall.
Tiger Eyes grow to about 6 feet tall and about that wide in an ideal situation. The plants like sun to part-sun and tolerate dry soil well. Some sources list it as hardy to USDA Zone 4, but other Minnesota-based sources, say it is hardy to zone 3, so this may be a good bet for northern Minnesota gardeners, too.
It’s important to maintain a regular watering schedule when the plants are getting established during the first year after planting. Like the species staghorn sumac, Tiger Eyes has a shallow root system and benefits from some mulch, especially at first. It does not do well in very clay soil, so if that is what you have, you may want to amend the soil carefully or choose another shrub.
Tiger Eyes has no significant pest problems. It does sucker a bit, but not nearly as much as the larger form of sumac. You also may need to prune it to maintain the desired shape. This can be done in late winter when you can see the shrub’s form clearly.
Tiger Eyes is a medium-sized shrub with striking color and interesting form. It would be a great addition to many garden styles and spaces.
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I planted one 2 years ago and it has a number of volunteers coming up, can I dig them up and replant them where I actually want them?
You sure can. Be sure to get some roots and keep them watered the first season.
I’ve had my Tigers Eye Sumac for 3 years and it’s done very well – about 5’ tall and full of new leaves until this spring. It’s sprouting new leaves from the base but the existing large branches are not blooming but they’re fuzzy which tells me they’re still alive. Can anyone tell me what to expect?
Sally — You don’t mention where you are located. Tiger Eyes is hardy to zone 4a, so as far north as St. Cloud, MN. It sounds like it might have gotten nipped by the cold. I’d give it a bit more time, but it may not make it. Good luck!
I have the same issue with mine, Sally. I know it’s alive, just not sprouting at the ends of the branches-but the base and trunk are. I am in Anoka and I have other tiger eyes that are just fine.
Mary-can the branches be pruned to allow for the plant to grow? Or will than do damage?
Thanks for your response Mary. I live 35 miles north of Alexandria MN and it was extremely cold last winter so you’re no doubt correct about it getting nipped. I really liked that Tigers Eye!
Mine has grown substantially underground. I attempted to pull up one of the sprouts and it was growing from a 1 inch diameter root about 1 foot in the ground. Now sprouts are growing up to 15 feet from the original plant and it will require some excavation efforts to remove it. It seems to be about as invasive as bamboo.
That is aggressive! It might be wise to remove and replace with something less invasive. We’re located in Minnesota and Tiger Eyes is not usually that aggressive, though the species staghorn sumac can be. Thanks for commenting.
I bought 2 this year for display within a project. They are still in pots as i was unsure whether I should plant them. They wouldn’t be planted on my property and the property owner does not want any more trees. therefore I am wondering if I can keep them in the pots and put them inside for the winter?
I don’t think they would handle the inside well, unless you have an unheated sunroom or porch. They would probably do fine if you heeled them in in their pots — just plant the pot in the ground, cover with mulch and then remove in the spring.
It can take a while in the spring for the new leaves to form. They sprout later than other bushes.
I planted one last fall, and it is gorgeous this year. The trunk is about an inch plus in diameter, and is leaning toward the sidewalk. Is there a smart way to get it to grow a bit more vertically without damage?
Jenifer — I have one that is leaning, too. You could try putting a stake near it and tying it up. Is it getting enough sun? That might also cause it to lean a bit. Good luck!
Thanks for the idea. It is on the east side of the house. Could it be transplanted to somewhere more sunny?
Yes, you could transplant it if it is not too large.
I planted one of these several weeks ago to replace one I’d had for two years that was damaged over winter either by cold or deer or both. The new one, basically just a stick, was leafing out nicely, but now I see that the upper growth is gone and it only has a few leaves left near the bottom. Deer again or some other pest? This is located in some landscaping I had done a few summers ago at our lake home near Erskine, MN. Is there hope for this growing and thriving here or am I fighting an uphill battle?
If you planted it this spring, my guess is deer. It may be tough to get these to thrive in your area as it is on the edge of the range for Tiger Eyes.
We live in Northfield, MN. With watering and mulching, is this a suitable time of year to plant the Tiger Eyes in an area of the back yard, or is the risk too great for winter damage that I should plan for late spring planting?
Thanks-
Yes, now is a great time to plant shrubs.
My tiger eye thrives in Duluth, Mn and I have so many suckers, I’m considering bringing one in to try as a houseplant. Has that been tried before?
I’ve never heard of growing sumac as a houseplant, but they are very hardy, so who knows? It’s worth a try.
It’s zone 5 here. Can I pot one up and leave it outside for the winter?
You probably could. I’d put it in a protected spot and mulch around the pot just to be sure. Good luck.
I am in a Zone 5, but now they have changed it to 6a, I think, but I still garden as if zone 5. I had a Tiger Eye for several years. It throws sprouts out everywhere. I finally cut it back last summer and I have some sprouting about 10 ft or so from where the original was planted. I live in Missouri.
We dug up our 20 year old Tiger eye. Loved it as a different and beautiful addition to our back yard. BUT Suckers are coming up 20-30 feet away, and it saps ALL the moisture from my 1 year old Rose of Sharon on the other side of a retaining wall.
We dug out the stump and treated what was left with a stump killer. 1 month after getting rid of Tiger, I am trying to grow annuals, they are not doing well, In spite of more than adequate watering . Does ,Tiger “poison” the soil? Could our stump killer, even a few teaspoons steriles the soil? Other ideas please.
I’m hear looking for the same information. A landscaper designer put in 2 sumac and 2 hydrangeas, one phantom, one bobo, in fall of 2020. The large hydrangea bloomed beautifully until last year when it had many but very small blooms. It’s August 14 and has not bloomed yet. The Bobo has appeared barely alive for 2 years. I give them extra water, etc. The sumacs are huge. I think they are robbing the hydrangea of all the soil nutrients. In front of the sumacs are Knock-out roses that don’t have as many blooms as we see on others. We’re in the western suburbs of Chicago.
Hi Mary, my husband and I bought one of these not this summer, but the summer before. We thought it died due to we never got it in the ground, then winter came. (We live just outside of Detroit Mi) When this last spring rolled around, our Tiger Eyes Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac came back to life. We planted it, and it’s beautiful! The fall leaves are amazing! So my question is how to take care of it when Winter comes. Should I let the leaves fall and not touch it until Spring?
Yes. It’s a very hardy shrub and should have no trouble with your winters.
Hi,
My sumac was planted last year and did great but this Spring it won’t leaf out. I scratched the bark and there is no green, I am in zone 5 and thought this is unusual. Is it dry winter? Salt from neighbors driveway? Not sure why it died back, lots of suckers though.
How is drainage in the area? Salt isn’t much of a problem for sumac, but it doesn’t do well in really wet spots. Give it sometime this spring to leaf out. Here’s a profile of the plant that you might find useful. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c861
Tiger Eyes sumac is different from the typical staghorn sumac in several ways. First, it is a low growing selection growing only six feet tall and wide. It still suckers but the plants I have been watching for the past five years confine the suckers close to the base of the original plant and it will take the colony considerable time to spread out of its original planting zone.
Hi, I’m having this tree for 7 years and I was always enjoying it a lot. This year my tree doesn’t have green leaves yet. My hb wants to cut it off which is hurting my heart!
Please tell me, is it possible that my tree is still alive and just slower down this year? Does it happen sometime with those trees?
How can I help to my tree?
Thanks a lot,
Alina
I’m not sure where you are located, but if the weather has warmed up, it should be sending out leaves by now. I usually give stressed plants through June to see if they come back. Good luck.
Thank you for your fast response and your advise! I live in Illinois and right now it’s pretty hot here. Will wait and see.
Im having the same issue. Mine are 3 years old, I have 3 in my landscaping and only one is blooming so far. The others just have suckers everywhere. Do you think they still have a chance? Located in Omaha, NE
I live in Fremont. I had the same problem. I just let some of the suckers take off. Selectively cut some. They ended up great. So great I may have to transplant one next spring because it is taking over some of my roses.
Hey all! I’ve had a Tiger Eye in my yard (Southern IL, Zone 5-6) for roughly 10 years, and it’s done wonderfully until this year where it appears to be declining in health (it didn’t leaf out nearly as much as usual). I’m wondering now what the expected life span is for this plant. I’ve already transplanted several of the suckers with good success (I only do this in the winter when it’s dormant…never had success in the summer), so I’m not particularly worried, but I would like to know if it’ll just keeping going downhill, or if I can expect a recovery next year. If it is dying, then I’ll likely just dig it out and replace it with one of the babies.
Side note, I’ve had mine sucker up to 15-20 feet away, though that’s pretty rare. Most sucker growth is off the root system near the parent plant.
My Tiger Eyes is beautiful and serves a very practical purpose shading a southern facing wall from direct sun all day long. It is slightly taller than 6 ft. We are just north of the city but 4b here is a narrow edge between zone five and zone 3. I planted it as much as I could 6 feet from the neighbors boundary as the plant card said it would only sucker up to six feet. However with regular rains we have been having the tree is suckering past the cement fence footing. How is the best way to control this without encouraging more spread? Besides this I have already cleaned up a rats nest mess left under a large stressed fir (I think by the city) that was growing into the neighbors G I A N T burning bush and managed to get grass to grow under it. The neighbor had someone across the street trim up his Burning Bush, into a very attractive form except the pruning was extremely rough, maybe savage. I don’t want to give my neighbor a hard time but the shading for our house is totally necessary. Also he pours glyphosate like water out on the ground along the long chain link fence to control grass. I held back on the purchase of the beautiful Tiger Eyes sumac but it was indicated that this was an ‘improved’ variety. What should I do about those creeping suckers? Thank you, I will take any suggestions and realize it is my prerogative.
Angela — In a former home, I had a regular staghorn sumac (the big kind because it was a big yard near a wild area) and it suckered like crazy. A couple of times a year, I took my big pruner and cut the suckers down at ground level. It sounds like the suckers are heading into your neighbor’s yard, in which case you might not be able to do that. I don’t think your neighbor’s glysophate use will kill the shrubs. You might want to try to find the roots heading into your neighbor’s yard and cut them in your yard before they get next door. Sorry you are having this much suckering — Tiger Eyes is normally a well-behaved plant.
I have a Tiger Eye that we have left in the original nursery plastic container for several years, out of fear of having suckers sprouting up in undesireable places (an issue we discovered after purchasing the tree). This year, it is currently about 18 inches tall, and leafing out well, with beautiful colors. We redesigned our garden area, and have an spot we would like to use for the tree, but because of the afore mentioned problem, would like to trans-plant it to a permanant planter pot in an area that faces south-west, and gets good sunlight. We would like to keep the tree about 4-5 feet high and wide. My questions are; what success can we expect by doing this, and what material & size container should we use?
Tiger Eyes is very adaptable to container life, as you have found out. I have never grown one in a pot, but several others have. Pick a durable pot (my recommendation would be out of fiberglass because it’s tough and not too heavy) in a fairly large size — at least 20 or more inches across and fairly deep. Here are two articles about growing them in containers. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/untraditional-container-plants
https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/askagardener/tiger-eyes-sumac/
Good luck!
Oops, I should have mentioned I live in zone 7
I’m wanting to use a tiger eye my friend gave me about 5′ from our 3,000 gallon, rubber lined goldfish pond. Will I regret that location? Zone 5, Central Illinois. Also, the start is a healthy little tree about 3′ tall, how long will it take to reach mature size?
I want to have my branches stay towards the top of the tree so we see more of the trunks at the bottom, can I remove bottom branches as I want at any time? Or should that only be done certain times of the year?
THe best time to prune shrubs (other than those that bloom in the spring) is late winter or early spring. That said, I have pruned vigorous shrubs, including sumac, in late summer or early fall without seeing any negative effects.
I have had tiger eyes in my landscripe for over 10 years and have just been delightful how beautiful they Change colors. I do see another growth,it looks like a cluster of seeds, it’s only on the 8 to 10 year old ones. Do anyone know what they are? My tiger eye spread is about 30 feet and there is only 4 large clusters throughout the 30 feet of landscripe. Need too know or where to look for insight. Thank you.
It is invasive, after six years it began having suckers/sprouts all across the yard from even ten feet away. If u want something very easy to grow that will take up a very large space I would say to go with it but after the mess it had caused I’d say it’s not worth it and is invasive.
We love ours tiger eye against our silver spruce but it’s suckers are now 20′ into the yard. So we now mow them.
Can you plant the tiger eye sumac red fruit seed pods that come out in July? We’d like some to grow in our backyard to add some chartreuse color & fill in gaps in our yard. Or should we transplant the suckers instead (haven’t had luck yet with getting suckers to grow roots).
Thanks!
Tiger Eyes is a cultivar, so the seeds may not come true. (That is, they may look like one of the parent or grandparent plants.) You’ll have better luck replanting suckers.
I plan to plant tiger eye sumacs along a fence in an area with dappled light, not full sun, and damp soil. Will that work? Also, can you suggest companion plants to pair with the sumacs?
Any low plant that would match its light and soil needs would be fine — maybe nepeta or hostas that can handle some light? Your local nursery might have other suggestions.
Hi Mary,
I am considering Tiger Eyes for screening the view of the street from my window. I am looking for 4 season interest. Does Tiger Eyes produce beautiful seed pods like normal Staghorn summac? I have not seen any pictures showing the seeds. Also, are there male and female plants? Thanks!
Gretchen
Chicago, IL
Gretchen — No it does not have the seed pods that the normal staghorn has.
Received the Tiger Eye as a present in early August 2020 and planted it that very afternoon in rich soil for the first 12-14 inches then hard pan. I made the hole two times the radius needed and have watered it in addition to having a sprinkler system. At this time I keep cutting small dead branches off every two – three weeks. What do I do next????
I just planted a tiger eyes sumac this spring, and it has been doing great, but I noticed with some of the bottom branches That the leaves are turning brown and then the branch itself breaks off. It seems to be working it’s way up. I feel like I’m watering it enough, however I can’t Figure out why this is happening. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Whitney
La Crosse, WI
My tiger eyes sumac came with out house in Northeastern Washington. Every winter after the leaves fall what remains is a bunch of rust red cones about 5 inches tall. I’ve always been unsure as to let these winter over (which I’ve done every winter) or take them off…which is it?
I would leave them on — they are seed pods — food for the birds and winter interest!
Thank you.
My tiger eye sumac is getting too tall, with all of the foliage at the top and the trunks down below all appear really old. I want to prune it way back down so the new growth starts lower, but I am afraid of pruning too radically. Any suggestions?
I am having the same issue with mine. About 5 feet tall and only sprouting at the top. Very sad looking. Did you find an answer to your problem Tubers Eye?
Hope you are still taking comments/questions- I started a sucker transplant last fall. Kept it in house in a container and it has started very well through the winter in a sunny window. It is about 8 inches tall now with about 8 branch leaves about 8in long with good foliage. Recently the lower branch leaves have been drying, curling and dying. New leaves and sprouts are coming in on top though. My watering is pretty regular and minimal. Does it need fertilizer or more water?
That could be either overwatering or underwatering. It might be happier if you moved it outside where it will get stronger light.
I planted a Tiger Eyes sumac a few years ago. Last summer it was several feet tall and had beautiful fall color. During the winter, some critter (deer?) apparently ate the top part off, because only about 1 foot remained. My husband was doing some garden clean-up yesterday and thought it was dead, so he pulled it up. It has a lot of roots, and I stuck it in a bucket of water. The main stem seems to still have some green under the bark, so it may not be totally dead. If I replant it, do you think it will survive?
Hi Mary
I live in Brantford Ontario, Canada and would love to plant some Tiger Eyes. Is it wishful thinking due to the winters, or might I have a chance.
Fingers crossed.
Thanks for your help
Shelley
Shelley — You should have no problem growing Tiger Eyes. Your zone is actually a bit warmer than we are in Minnesota. Good luck growing this beautiful plant!
We live in London Ont and have successfully grown one, its been about 3 years since we planted it and its almost 6 ft tall. Also a note about it not doing well in clay, all we have is clay and it seems to love it, new sprouts are actually appear all around it (which is actually starting to get a little out of hand).
Hi Mary,
I planted a tiger eye shrub late summer of 2020 in the Chicago area. It did well and grew fast. By the beginning of winter after the 1st frost all the branches except the main stalk fell off. I was wondering if it would come back this spring of 2021. It did. The main stalk is fuzzy and sprouts are starting to show throughout the main stalk. Yea! It survived. After reading many of your readers comments, i hadn’t read about any other people that experienced branches falling off. Do I have an unusual situation?
Thank you,
Tom
That is normal for a Tiger Eye Sumac….first frost = all branches hit the ground….
We planted a Tiger Eye in our front yard about 20 years ago in the fall. It has always appeared to be a small tree rather than a shrub, having one main trunk with two main sections that developed from the trunk. Over the years the branches have gotten very brittle, and several of them stopped producing leaves, so we just remove them annually. The leaves do develop later in spring, and there are bushy red “fruit’ that grow on the branches. Many birds seem to like them. Our tiger eye is 8-9 feet high and about 18-20 feet wide, Just wondering if it will last much longer. We are getting more dead branches each year, and it does not produce many “seed shoots”, which were small seedlings that fell into the grass surrounding it, and started to grow. We live in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, just northwest of Milwaukee.
I planted a Tiger Eye in the corner of our Terraced Boulder garden 4 years ago and it’s doing well (live in Tower Mn – far northern part of state). I’ve planted these before in our yard with no success due to Deer think they’re candy. In the terrace garden the deer leave it alone except for winter so I wrap burlap or netting around it. I dug out 5 – 18” suckers for friends this spring. What’s the best way to remove suckers to deter /minimize regrowth? Should I just pull from the ground, or cut the root? This is a gorgeous shrub summer/fall and have no regrets planting it, except I don’t want to spend summer months constantly removing sprouting suckers inbetween my other perennials in the area.
It’s great that you’re having success with the plant and have out-smarted those deer! Suckers happen. I just cut them back from time to time during the season.
What are the red cone shaped things on my tiger eye sumac?
Those are the seedpods of the sumac. Birds love them.
Is there any effective way to contain the suckers?
Not that I’m aware of. Tiger Eyes suckers less than the species plant, but depending on the environment, it will sucker some. Just snip them off regularly.
Some friends uprooted four Tiger Eyes and we replanted them in our backyard (Burnsville, MN) the next day. Despite thorough watering and staking, they already look limp and dying three days later. They were about 2 feet tall. Should we give up on them yet or give them more time to recover?
I wish we never planted this! I am located in Miwaukee WI. Originally planted about 7 years ago. Currently there are sprouts coming up 20 feet from where we placed it all the way into my neighbors yard. Little plants are appearing litterally everywhere in the grass. How in the world can I get rid of these little shoots? I dug up the main plant this spring. It has completely taken over our front yard.
Our neighbor has one of these planted at the edge of her yard which happens to butt right up to our fence. Our nice landscaping that we spent several thousand dollars on is. Ow bring ruined by this invasive tree. So frustrated. I’ve been trying to pull up all roots as I see the suckers pop up.
Hi-
We just re-landscaped in May and have 2 tigereye sumacs now- both very small; One is thriving and the other one keeps sprouting leaves and then they fall off- so it’s mostly just been a stick in the ground. I don’t think it’s rabbits because the leaves aren’t getting eaten- they just drop to the ground. Today I lightly touched a new leaf and it fell off. Is some bug eating at the steam of the leaves? They just seem to be very fragile and then fall off. We’re in Minneapolis and the plantings were done by a professional landscape architect and planted by a local gardener/nursery so I don’t think it’s an issues of the the plant being in the wrong place or wrong soil.
Thanks!
Hello,
I am trying to grow in a container and will bring it in for the winter (Chicago) Will it work?
Joe—josephpintor@att.net
Are there male & female varieties? I have three and only one is sending up suckers. I’m in zone 5 & planted all three last summer. I got them all at the same time from Home Depot.
Due to very deep snow drifts, rabbits have eaten almost all of the bark around the very tops of our 3 year old, 5′ tall tiger eye sumace. Snow still surrounds the base of the plant. Will these plants die? Can they be pruned ? When? What do we use to keep the rabbits from eating on them?
I want to send some Tiger Eye shoots to my friend in Southern California which is zone 10a. It doesn’t get too hot but no winter freeze. Does it have a chance to grow in an area without the freeze?
Good afternoon- I live in Columbus Nebraska. Our front yard had a beautiful tiger eye. Two years ago only one side of the tree had new growth. We gave it another year to see if it would recover and it did not. We ended up tree back at the ground. Now I have 4 new suckers that are growing around the original stump. Should I allow all 4 to continue to grow or cut some of them off? It is right next to my house.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
We’re in southern Ontario in Canada and have a tiger eye in our front garden. It’s been lovely, particularly in the fall when it’s leaves turn from green to orange. The issue is the location, as it was planted by the previous home owner at the front of the garden so it covers the plants behind it. Hoping to dig it out and give it to a caring home. The only issue: it’s almost seven feet tall (not counting roots) and eight feet wide. Is that too large to transplant?
I have 2 Tiger Eyes. I’ve had them for about 10 yrs for the beautiful color. I grow them as a hedge with Snowball Viburnums & Arbaveitas. I rarely water them. They do sucker a little, but very easy to pull. Mine grow in Muskego, Wi.
How long do tiger eye sumac live?
I live in Eau Claire, WI and we love our Tiger Eye Sumac but the sprouts/babies that are popping up in the area are more than I’d like – some are popping up through our rock garden and close the house. Any tips on how to get these to stop? I try to get as much of the root when pulling and dig some up even. I’m most worried about the ones near the foundation.
My wife fell in love with this plant when we saw it at a nursery. We bought it before researching it. 3 years later it’s taking over my yard. I cut down the bush, but it’s popping up everywhere, up to 10 feet away. Any idea how to kill it for good?
We planted a few on Long Island, NY as part of a shade planting a couple of years ago. This year they sent out runners ALL OVER THE PLACE, popping up from as far away as 20 ft!
Thank you to all who have commented here. I bought one of these Tigers Eye yesterday, and have found this blog VERY helpful. I have to admit I am excited about the colorful changes of this tree, but nervous about all the reports of invasive habits.
Live in Harwood ND. Have had this tree for 20+ years. Harwood used to be zone 3b but is now considered 4a. Have never had a problem with too cold/frost kill. First tree (oldest) actually got overrun by grape vines. It may be alive still, but can never see it under the grape vines. Because of that another one was planted a good distance away. About 10 years old now and again no problems. Have a new lake place in NW Minnesota now. I am looking for more of these. Used to get at Lowes in Fargo, but local store now longer carries.
I live in zone 5a. Just planted my Tiger Eyes in pot. I really would love it in my border rock garden but I’m not willing to risk the suckers.
I am in Cottage grove, mine I think is nearing it’s end of life it is about 15 years old and just the last few years have I been seen extensive suckers in my yard, many feet away, at least 10-15 or more feet.