Smooth Sumac vs Canada Mint - TreeTime.ca

Smooth Sumac vs Canada Mint

Rhus glabra

Mentha canadensis

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Smooth Sumac
Canada Mint

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.

Canada Mint is a native perennial plant known for its fragrant edible leaves. It produces small white to purple flowers in clusters around the stem and is commonly found in wet areas, including ditches and along wetlands, lakes, and rivers. The leaves can be eaten fresh or used to make teas and essential oils.

Canada Mint can spread quickly through underground rhizomes, making it well-suited to naturalization and restoration projects where it can spread freely. In smaller urban yards or gardens, container planting is recommended to help manage its growth. If planted directly in the ground, regular care and maintenance may be needed to limit its spread.

Smooth Sumac Quick Facts

Canada Mint Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: spreading, colony forming
Spreading: rhizomes - high, seeds - low
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: long, thin
Foliage: aromatic, edible
Fall colour: scarlet red
Flowers: small, white to purple clusters along stem
Bloom time: mid summer to early fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: BC, SK, MB, ON
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, PE
Other Names: american wild mint