Tanning sumac, or, as this plant is also called, tannic sumac, grows in the south of Russia, as well as in the Mediterranean countries and in the Crimea. You can see skumpia in the Himalayas and on the southern slopes of the mountains in China. The plant feels great on soils containing even rocks, and therefore grows successfully in the mountains.
General Description
Leather mackerel is a very branched shrub that can reach a height of 3 meters. Sometimes you can find a skumpia growing like a small tree with a neat rounded crown up to 5 meters in height. The bark of the skumpia is very decorative - grayish-brown, slightly flaky, and the shoots of the plant may be reddish in some varieties, which makes the skumpia even more decorative. The leaves, depending on the variety, can be simple with a thin petiole or serrated, ovoid. The main advantage of skumpia is small flowers collected in large panicles scattered over the crown. Flowering in southern latitudes in one season can occur many times with this plant. Skumpia tannery in the Moscow region blooms in mid-June. The fruits of the plant ripen in late summer and are dry drupes.
Variety of varieties
In culture, tannery has been grown for a very long time and it goes without saying that over the years numerous varieties and many forms have appeared. Since the last century, creeping skumpia has been grown to strengthen the slopes, as well as weeping and red-leaved for decorative purposes. One of the most spectacular varieties is green skumpia, ordinary, which looks great both in group and in single plantings in large gardens and parks. In our latitudes, skumpia can reach 4 meters in height, develops and blooms beautifully. The plant is not very frost-resistant, but still tolerates the climate of even central Russia. Skumpia tannery is successfully grown in the Moscow region, enduring the winter.
The shrub does not lose its decorative effect even after flowering, because thanks to the stalks, which greatly elongate during the fruiting period and are covered with bright red or white hairs, the skumpia looks very beautiful and elegant. Thanks to this, it seems that a wig was put on the plant or covered with a bright cloud, consisting of fluffs of reddish and pinkish hues. In this outfit, the tree remains from June until November itself, and in some regions until December. Hence the names of skumpia, such as a wig tree or a smoky tree, appeared. The foliage of the shrub with the advent of the first autumn days also changes color and gradually becomes purple in the coldinterspersed with bluish, orange and metallic tones. In autumn, skumpia becomes the most important decoration of the garden, because a bush or tree literally flares up and attracts attention with its bright color.
About Royal Purple and Young Lady
To date, the most common in European countries is leather sumpia "royal purple", but, unfortunately, it is quite capricious. Very often this variety freezes to the height of the snow cover, and sometimes to the very roots. Because of this, royal purple tannery in our latitudes needs heavy pruning every spring, and is grown most often in the form of bushes. The foliage of this variety is very decorative - bright, with a reddish-brown tint, in the fall it acquires a bluish tint. "Royal purple" is usually used for single landings, as well as in mixborders. Very often this variety is planted singly to set color accents in the garden. In order for the royal ash tannery to overwinter well, it should be planted in sheltered places with high snow cover and hilled up for the winter.
About a dozen varieties are grown in the culture, of which the most common are the "young lady", grace and purpureus. The main difference between the varieties is not in the flowers or the shape and size of the bush, but in the color of the foliage. Skumpia has very decorative foliage and in some varieties, in the autumn, the leaves turn orange-red or bright red.
Growing
For planting skumpii on a personal plot, you should choose a sunny place, well warmed up and protected from the winds. If the shrub grows in a site where there is little sun, then its shoots will not have time to become woody and therefore will freeze heavily in the winter cold.
This plant can tolerate acidic soil, but skumpia prefers alkaline or calcareous soils. The earth should be airy, breathable, although this shrub tolerates heavy soils well. Skumpia is indispensable for strengthening slopes that are prone to water erosion, and the plant will develop well even on rocks. It should be noted that skumpia does not tolerate stagnant water, and therefore, choosing a site for planting it, one should exclude stagnation of spring meltwater.
Cutting
Does it require a lot of attention when growing tannery? Caring for this plant consists in the regular formation of a bush. Skumpiya is an excellent ornamental plant for beginner gardeners, as it is almost not susceptible to diseases and pests. Bushes are pruned annually, removing frozen shoots, as well as weak ones. Strong pruning of bushes is carried out every two years in late spring, but in the period before the leaves bloom. One-year growth with heavy pruning should be shortened by 2/3. Old skumpii bushes can be rejuvenated by cutting off the shoots strongly “on the stump”. After such pruning, the bush will give a strong shoot and a young spherical crown will form, the leaves will develop well.
Sumpiawill delight you not only with its summer flowering. You can cut the flowers, dry them and use them to make winter bouquets. To prevent the delicate dry flowers of skumpia from crumbling, they can be sprinkled with hairspray.
Reproduction
Sumpia tannery propagates by seeds or vegetatively. Seeds should be sown in spring, planting them in the soil to a depth of 2 cm. Seeds of skumpia do not lose their germination capacity for several years and have a laboratory germination rate of 35%.
For vegetative propagation, skumpii use cuttings or layering, shoots. It is very easy and simple to propagate this plant vegetatively - the branch is bent to the ground, slightly cutting the bark on it, pinned with a wooden horn and sprinkled with earth. After the formation of roots, the young plant can be separated from the mother plant and transplanted.
Cuttings should be harvested at the end of June. The cuttings are planted in a greenhouse, and in the initial period of rooting they must be watered very often or a fogger should be placed in the greenhouse. Rooting takes about three weeks. About a third of the planted cuttings take root.
Reviews of gardeners
Try on your site or in the garden to grow tannery, which is sure to become your pride and favorite among garden plants. Bright outfit, unpretentiousness - all this makes this shrub a welcome inhabitant of any garden or park. According to the reviews of gardeners who have been successfully growing skumpia on their plots for a long time, it can be judged that this is a very unpretentious plant that does not require suchpainstaking daily care, like a rose or a lily. Your skumpiya will not need regular watering, except during periods of severe drought, and will ennoble your garden, make it rich and unusual.
Many summer residents and gardeners grow skumpia precisely because of its autumn decorative effect and advise everyone who loves bright outfits of autumn nature to plant this plant on their site.
Difficulties in growing
Scumpie in its beauty and unusualness can compete with the recognized queens of the autumn ball - chrysanthemums, but it does not require such care and attention. The only thing that can prevent you from fully enjoying this plant is its rather low frost-resistant qualities. Many gardeners note that in cold regions, skumpia should be covered for the winter and sometimes heavily pruned in the spring. Strong pruning every year can harm the plant and weaken flowering, and not every grower decides to plant skumpia for this reason.
