Monday, October 25, 2010

Rhus typhina 'Tigereye Bailtiger'....serious fall color

Fall is dragging its feet this year. Almost November and just hints of color in the landscape. Temperatures are good; nights in the 40's days in the 70's. I do love fall but at some point I put two and two together and figured out that fall led directly to winter. That took a bit of the shine off the season. Still, it's great to be able to work for hours outside without needing IV hydration. And the color will come.

I grow this Sumac in a container. Rhus typhina, is a pretty frightening plant. It colonizes xeric rocky sterile slopes alongside the Interstate Highways. This selection, 'Tigereye', with its lime green/yellow foliage, is definitely a dwarf and looks to be less vigorous in terms of spreading than the species. It hasn't been around all that long though, it was patented in 2006, so the jury is still out. I see it for sale more and more recently; it's crossed over into the "box store" inventories, though possibly that ought not to surprise me. They do like flashy plants that sell themselves.

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