Sugar bush

Rhus ovata

Description

Sugar bush is a large evergreen shrub with a dense foliage habit that commonly grows 10-15 ft. high and as wide. However, some long lived plants have developed into small trees with twisting trunks up to 35 ft. tall. Thick leaves are 1-3 in. long, deep glossy green and have a pointed apex. Attractive clusters of cream to pink colored flowers are showy in early spring and are followed by clusters of large flattened berries.

Sugar bush is native to the chaparral and sage scrub plant communities of California and is appreciated for its handsome foliage character and tolerance of summer drought. It is most often planted in native gardens and on slopes with adequate space to accommodate its potential size. It can also be clipped and maintained as a screen or background plant, as as it ages it can be pruned to reveal interesting trunk and bark character.

Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Mounding, Low-branching, Dense
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage Color: Medium green
Flower Color: Pink
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Clay
Exposure Adaptations: Heat, Frost, Drought, Aridity, All day sun
Function: Background plant, Attracts butterflies, Hedge, Wildlife value, Specimen, Slopes, Screening, Parks and open space, Foliage accent plant, California native
Height: 8 ft. – 35 ft.
Width: 20 ft. – 25 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 1

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 3-4 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another 3-4 weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
If you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, it is best not to use the automatic weather adjusting features for plants in this category. While very useful for watering higher water demanding plants, those in this category have natural drought adaptations which mean they do not need to be watered more in warm weather. Using the weather adjusting features will result in either overwatering in summer or underwatering in fall and spring.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.

Prune by heading back as much of the new-ish growth as desired and shape to encourage long-term nice form and branching pattern in May (1). Feel free to lightly prune outer branches if shaping is needed in early Fall, but try to reserve any more substantial pruning for late spring (1). Light pinching back over time will encourage denser form. It can even be turned into a formal hedge if desired. Pruning can be used to shape into a small tree or dense hedge. If hedging, remember to taper the hedge, narrower at the top, and wider at the base, so it gets good sunlight access to the entire plant (2). Hedged plants can be cut back two or three times per year. Although it is rare, some people have an allergic reaction to the sap, somewhat like a poison oak rash. Sometimes plants grow very slowly or not much at all after planting, but within a few years begin to grow more rapidly (3) References