Rhus typhina 'Dissecta' (Cut-Leaf Staghorn Sumac)
Overview
Rhus typhina 'Dissecta', commonly known as Cut-Leaf Staghorn Sumac or Fernleaf Sumac, is a spectacular deciduous shrub that delivers unmatched autumn colour and year-round architectural interest. This distinctive cultivar features deeply divided, fern-like foliage that creates a more delicate, refined appearance than the species whilst maintaining the plant's renowned dramatic seasonal display. Perfect for gardeners seeking a low-maintenance shrub with exceptional ornamental value.
Key Features
Deeply Cut Foliage: The most striking feature is the deeply dissected, pinnate leaves that resemble large fern fronds, creating a much more delicate and refined texture than the standard Staghorn Sumac.
Spectacular Autumn Colour: Provides one of the most reliable and intense autumn displays in the garden, with foliage turning brilliant shades of orange, scarlet, and deep crimson that persist for weeks.
Architectural Form: Develops a distinctive flat-topped, spreading habit with thick, velvety branches that create strong winter structure and tropical appearance during the growing season.
Crimson Flower Spikes: Female plants produce dense, upright clusters of deep red flowers in summer, followed by persistent crimson seed heads that provide winter interest and wildlife food.
Rapid Growth: Fast-growing shrub that quickly establishes and fills space, making it excellent for new gardens or areas requiring quick impact.
Growing Conditions
Soil Requirements: Extremely adaptable to various soil conditions including poor, dry, sandy, or clay soils. Particularly thrives in well-draining sites and tolerates drought once established.
Sunlight: Performs best in full sun where autumn colours are most intense, but tolerates partial shade. Minimum 4-6 hours of direct sunlight recommended for optimal colouration.
Hardiness: Fully hardy throughout the UK (RHS Hardiness Rating H6), withstanding temperatures well below -20°C and suitable for exposed, windy locations.
Water Requirements: Highly drought-tolerant once established, requiring minimal watering even during extended dry periods. Avoid waterlogged conditions.
pH Tolerance: Adaptable to a wide range of soil pH levels from acidic to alkaline conditions.
Care and Maintenance
Pruning: Can be pruned hard in late winter to maintain size and encourage vigorous new growth with larger leaves. Light pruning removes dead wood and maintains shape. Responds well to coppicing if required.
Suckering: Naturally produces suckers from the base, creating colonies over time. Remove unwanted suckers to control spread, or allow to naturalise for larger displays.
Fertilising: Requires no additional feeding and actually performs better in lean soils. Over-fertilising can reduce autumn colour intensity.
Disease Resistance: Generally pest and disease-free, making it an excellent low-maintenance choice for busy gardeners.
Garden Design Applications
Specimen Planting: Outstanding as a focal point in lawn areas or at the end of garden vistas where its dramatic form and colour can be fully appreciated.
Autumn Gardens: Essential plant for gardens designed around autumn interest, providing reliable and spectacular seasonal colour.
Architectural Plantings: The bold, tropical-looking foliage and strong form make it perfect for contemporary and architectural garden designs.
Screening: Can be used for informal screening or to create garden boundaries, particularly effective when allowed to sucker naturally.
Slope Stabilisation: Excellent for planting on banks or slopes where its spreading root system helps prevent erosion.
Prairie and Wildlife Gardens: Natural choice for naturalistic plantings and wildlife gardens where it provides food and habitat.
Seasonal Interest
Spring: Fresh green, deeply cut foliage emerges, creating an immediate tropical effect with its large, fernlike leaves.
Summer: Dense canopy of lush green foliage provides excellent screening, whilst female plants develop striking red flower clusters that attract pollinators.
Autumn: The garden's star performer, with foliage transforming into brilliant displays of orange, red, and crimson that can be seen from considerable distances.
Winter: Distinctive thick, velvety branches create strong architectural structure, whilst persistent red seed heads provide colour and food for birds.
Planting and Establishment
Planting Time: Best planted during dormant season from late autumn through early spring, though container-grown plants can be planted year-round with adequate watering.
Spacing: Allow 3-4 metres between plants for individual specimens, or 2-3 metres for informal hedging or screening applications.
Soil Preparation: Minimal preparation required due to adaptability, though ensuring drainage will promote healthy establishment.
Initial Care: Water regularly during first growing season, then reduce as drought tolerance develops rapidly.
Wildlife and Environmental Benefits
Pollinator Support: Summer flowers provide nectar for bees and other beneficial insects during the peak foraging season.
Bird Food: The persistent red seed clusters provide valuable winter food for birds including finches and other seed-eating species.
Habitat Creation: Dense growth and suckering habit creates excellent shelter and nesting sites for wildlife.
Erosion Control: Spreading root system makes it valuable for slope stabilisation and erosion prevention.
Companion Planting
Pairs beautifully with other autumn-colouring plants such as Acer species, Parrotia persica, and Amelanchier. The fine-textured foliage provides excellent contrast to bold-leaved plants like Fatsia japonica or large grasses such as Miscanthus. Works well in prairie-style plantings with ornamental grasses and late-flowering perennials.
Special Considerations
Suckering Nature: Be aware that this plant naturally spreads by underground suckers, which can be advantageous for naturalising or problematic in confined spaces. Regular removal of suckers controls spread.
Size Management: Can be kept compact through annual hard pruning, or allowed to develop into a substantial shrub or small tree reaching 4-5 metres.
Gender Differences: Female plants produce the attractive flower and seed displays, whilst males have less conspicuous flowers. Most nursery plants are of unknown gender.
Why Choose Rhus typhina 'Dissecta'?
This exceptional shrub offers unparalleled autumn drama combined with year-round architectural interest and minimal maintenance requirements. The deeply cut foliage provides a more refined appearance than the species whilst delivering the same spectacular seasonal performance that makes Staghorn Sumac famous. Whether you're creating an autumn garden, need rapid screening, or want a drought-tolerant feature plant that provides four seasons of interest, Rhus typhina 'Dissecta' delivers outstanding garden value with virtually no effort required. Its adaptability to challenging conditions and wildlife benefits make it an excellent choice for both novice and experienced gardeners seeking maximum impact from minimum input.
Buying Shrubs from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we sell a variety of shrubs both evergreen and deciduous with a variety of flowering times throughout the year. At certain times of the year our shrubs you buy from us may not look like the images shown on our website when deciduous leaves have fallen, the shrub has finished flowering or has been trimmed back.
Some leaves on evergreen shrubs can be damaged in winter by frost or harsh winds but in spring new leaves will readily replace those damaged. This is quite normal on many evergreen varieties and is preferable to plants grown with excessive protection that show cold shock once planted out and establish less satisfactory initially.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
* Please Note: Shrubs in 20 litre pots and above might require a pallet delivery starting at £79.99 per pallet. Depending on the exact pot size and height it may be possible to get approximately 5 plants per pallet at no extra cost. The maximum height we can dispatch on a pallet is 2.0m, this includes the height of the pallet and pot.
Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.
Planting and Conditions
Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.
Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.
One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.
Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.
Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.
Aftercare and Pruning
Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.
Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.
Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.
All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.
Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.
To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.
Potential Issues
Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.
This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.
To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.
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