Smooth Sumac vs Emerald Cedar - TreeTime.ca

Smooth Sumac vs Emerald Cedar

Thuja occidentalis Smaragd

Rhus glabra

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Emerald Cedar
Smooth Sumac

Emerald Cedar makes a great addition to landscapes, and is often used to form tight hedges or privacy screens. The thick scale-like foliage adds texture and colour to yards and is commonly used to line driveways. Unlike other cedars it retains its green colour throughout the fall and winter.

It is a semi dwarf species, which generally needs little pruning, but if desired it responds well to trimming. Its attractive, columnar shape and dense foliage makes it a desired landscape feature.

The Emerald Cedar won the award of merit from the Royal Horticultural Society.

Smooth Sumac is an excellent shrub for both its ornamental appeal and tolerance of difficult planting sites. You'll love the attractive pyramidal spikes of hairy, red berries that emerge on female plants and the fern-like foliage that covers both male and female varieties.

Ensure you give Smooth Sumac enough space to spread out due to its high suckering nature. While not ideal for small, urban yards, this shrub will make a stunning border along a woodland edge or roadside.

Note:These plants typically reach maturity and make their sex easily known (females producing fruit) in their 3rd or 4th year of growth. Our seedlings are too young to identify their sex.

Emerald Cedar Quick Facts

Smooth Sumac Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 4 m (13 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: long, thin
Fall colour: scarlet red
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: BC, SK, MB, ON
Other Names: smaragd arborvitae, thuja occidentalis emeraude