Jonathan Ya'akobi

Saving Water in the Garden – Do You Have to Rely Only on Slow-Growing Plants?

Slow growing plants are often synonymous with water-conserving ones in many gardeners’ minds. Some Species of Rhus though, develop quickly, requiring modest amounts of water at the same time.

Many of the water-conserving plants available to gardeners in dry climates are slow growing. It is one of the prices that has to be paid for growing beautiful landscape ornamentals that require little or no irrigation through the year. The dry climate garden would be all the poorer without species of Grevillea, Myrtle, Pistachio, and Melaleuca, which are excellent plants but take a few years to reach the desired size. A number of species, particularly Grevilleas, actually suffer and decline following the gardener’s attempt to speed up their rate of growth by generous amounts of water and fertilizer.

An exception to this rule is Rhus, or more precisely, a number of species of the genus. Rhus, or Sumac, to use its common name, is a large genus with a wide, natural dispersion, including South Africa, North America, and West and Central Asia. Amongst the species most suitable to hot, dry climates are Rhus crenata, R. ovata, and R. integrifolia. They are fine landscape bushes, providing a quick, evergreen, and attractive screen. They can also be trimmed as a neatly clipped hedge.

Unlike some of the afore-mentioned plants, these Sumac’s will not decline as a result of regular summer irrigation and feeding, providing that the drainage is adequate. On the contrary, they will respond well, reaching 2 meters or so within a couple of years or less. Once established, they can survive and thrive on a much-reduced regime, needing some 200mm of irrigation in climates that receive as little as 250mm of rainfall per annum. An annual spreading of compost should suffice as far as feeding is concerned. These evergreen types are hardy to both the winter and summer temperatures of a typical Mediterranean climate.

In design terms, they combine well with the usual Mediterranean - climate favorites such as Pittosporum, Leocophyllum, Raphiolepis, and Viburnum; plants that typically have a fine to medium foliage texture. Indeed, adding a purple-leaved variety of a plant like Vitex trifolium makes for a beautiful combination, as the similar leaf shapes are offset by the contrast in foliage color.

Sumac is often associated with the dreaded Poison Ivy. While the plants are related, Poison Ivy is classified as the genus, Toxicodendron. While some Sumacs are liable to be allergenic, the species mentioned are not noted for their toxic properties.

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