Sugar Bush

Mon, 08/10/2009 - 3:34pm — Kathy Ormiston
rhus_ovata.jpg
Photo Credit: 
Vera Kark, PADG
Botanical Name: 
Rhus ovata
Pronunciation: 
(rus oh-VAY-tuh)
Common Name: 
Sugar Bush
Plant Type: 
Shrub
Mature Size: 
8 ft. to 12 ft. tall and wide
Water Requirements: 
Low: water every 3 weeks until the root ball is wet
Sun/Shade Requirements: 
Full to half sun
Flower Color : 
Small white to pink flowers, red berries
Wildlife: 
Attracts birds

The California native, Rhus ovata, is very adaptable in the garden. This evergreen shrub can be pruned up by removing the bottom branches to create a small tree. It can also be formed into a hedge or left to grow naturally as a large, rounded shrub. Rhus ovata takes sun or partial shade and tolerates occasional water in the summer.

This plant is more of a garden workhouse rather than a star, but a garden full of stars would be overwhelming. These are good background shrubs for places that get no irrigation. The flower bracts, which appears in the fall, are red and show up well against the shiny green leaves. The flowers appear several months later and are small and white.