The "Tiger Eyes" staghorn sumac (R. typhina "Bailtiger" Tiger Eyes) cultivar provides year-round color in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. The dwarf 6-foot-tall (and equally wide) sumac's ferny, chartreuse spring leaves become bright yellow in summer before assuming scarlet or orange autumn shades. Pollinated female plants produce red fall berries. Equally striking are the shrub’s slender, arching reddish-pink winter stems. Disease-resistant “Tiger Eyes” works as a specimen or spreads slowly to form an eye-catching hedge.
"Tiger Eyes" sumac flourishes in full sun to light shade and poor to average well-drained soils. It likes an acidic soil with a pH between 4.6 and 6.0. Like its wild relatives, the cultivar has a shallow, wide root system valuable for erosion control on slopes and stream banks. It’s a poor choice, however, for flood-prone areas. High salt and wind tolerance make "Tiger Eyes" suitable for coastal locations. To plant a hedge, you’ll need a site that accommodates the 6- to 8-foot spacing between shrubs.
If you are gardening in clay soil that ranges from slick and sticky during rainy periods to cement-hard in drought, amend your site before planting "Tiger Eyes." Till a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic material, such as compost or peat moss, into the top 6 or 8 inches of your planting site. This will loosen the soil so the sumac can root more easily, and allow water to penetrate it instead of running off the surface.
How much water your "Tiger Eyes" requires depends on where you live. Shrubs in cool, relatively humid coastal locations experience slower soil-moisture evaporation than those growing in hot, windy dry areas. To avoid overwatering your plant, check the soil regularly and water when its upper 3 to 4 inches feels dry to the touch. Watering from the base of the shrub to its dripline, where rainwater falls to the ground from the outermost leaves, ensures even coverage.
"Tiger Eye's" shallow roots benefit from a protective layer of soil-cooling organic mulch such as wood chips. Applying a 3- to 4-inch layer of the mulch beginning 2 inches from the trunk and continuing at least 2 feet outward preserves soil moisture and discourages weeds.
Sap-sucking aphids, sumac psyllids and black soft scale insects occasionally attack staghorn sumacs. Look for colonies of the insects on the branches and leaf undersides. Psyllids rarely warrant treatment. Remove small aphid populations with a strong spray of water and light scale infestations with a toothbrush. Treat serious aphid and scale attacks with a thorough spray of horticultural oil applied according to the label specifications.
"Tiger Eyes" doesn't require feeding to spread by root suckers. If you choose to feed it, apply a 6-2-4 slow-release organic fertilizer at the beginning of the summer and again in autumn.
This naturally tidy shrub seldom requires pruning. To shape it, prune long shoots back by one-third in late winter or early spring, before new growth appears. Digging up root suckers as they appear controls its spread.
- Monrovia: Tiger Eyes Staghorn Sumac
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Rhus Typhina "Bailtiger" Tiger Eyes
- Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project: Staghorn Sumac
- ZipCodeZoo: Rhus Typhina
- ZipCodeZoo: Rhus Typhina "Tiger Eyes"
- University of California Marin Master Gardeners: Compost, Mulch and Amendments Help Replenish Soil
- Sunset New Western Garden Book; David E. Clark
- Colorado State University Extension: Woody Plant Management During Drought and with Limited Water Availability in Colorado
- University of California Integrated Pest Management: Pests in Gardens and Landscapes -- Rhus
- University of California Integrated Pest Management: Pests in Gardens and Landscapes -- Psyllids
- University of California Integrated Pest Management: Pests in Gardens and Landscapes -- Aphids
- University of California Integrated Pest Management: Pests in Gardens and Landscapes -- Scales
- University of California Integrated Pest Management: Pests in Gardens and Landscapes -- Canker Diseases
- North Haven Gardens: Plant Now - Golden Fall Color! Sumac "Tiger's Eye"
- George Weigel: Sumac "Tiger Eyes"