Last year I admired a friends beautiful tree. It had large purple "cones" sticking up on it. She kindly gave me a small one which had come up nearby. It was only about 3 inches high. I planted it last summer and it is now a foot high and its leaves have now turned the most florid orange/red. Why don't I see more of these in gardens and very little mention in any of my gardening books about them?. My friend said her husband goes mad because it throws up runners everywhere. Have I made a mistake planting it? Hers really looks spectacular!!
Sumach or Rhus typhina. It is a beautiful shrub for autumn colour but boy what a THUG. There was one here when we moved in, it took me three years of weedkiller to get rid of it. runners used to come up everywhere. One even pushed its way up through a concrete path. Personally I would not have it anywhere near my garden, sorry.
I had one in my former garden which was a mature tree when I moved in. It did produce the occasional suckers which were mowed up as it it was in the lawn, but they were never a problem. I brought one with me when I moved as I liked it so much. I wonder if there are different varieties as I have often heard people complaining of suckering?
