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Tall Rhus

DiggyDiggersonDiggyDiggerson Posts: 16
in Plants
Hi all,

I bought a 3m Rhus Typhana online, only as its turned up to the depo it's turned out to be 6m! Picture attached.



I bought it to give a degree of privacy over a 1.8m fence, but as you can see at the moment it has tall, quite bare stems with a crop of leaves on top. Can anyone tell me if the leaves could be encouraged to grow lower or if its likely that it will maintain a similarly tall trunk? Or is this a sign itll just become a monster? Hoping it can still work and save us some growing time!

Thanks,
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Posts

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    It suckers, especially if cut back, you could cut one of them back


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    Be careful what you cut back.  As @nutcutlet says, they do sucker once pruned and it is surprising how far the suckers will spread.  Lovely trees but rarely ideal in the average garden setting. Not very encouraging in your situation - sorry  :)
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    It likes to sucker and appears in lawns too.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • DiggyDiggersonDiggyDiggerson Posts: 16
    @GardenerSuze @philippasmith2 @nutcutlet

    Thanks for your replies! Would it help to plant it in a large pot in the ground? It's already around the height I'd like.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    I wonder if a root barrier would work? Not something I really know the answer to other than roots sucker.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited September 2022
    There’s one in a garden on a main road near here … its suckers have come through/under the garden wall, under a four foot wide pavement and is spreading along the grass verge of the main road into the city where it joins the inner ring road. 
    The council workmen cut it down several times a year … it continues to spread … I fully expect it to pop up in the middle of the lovely cricket pitch on the opposite side of the road before long. 
    They can be beautiful … but I’d never plant one …

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    There was one here when we moved in. It had been pruned (badly) and suckered all over the place. I took it out but it took a few more years to be rid of all the new suckers that popped up from bits of root left behind.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Having read the above could you return it for something else especially as it is twice the size you wanted. You probably want to ignore this comment but I feel I must just say it anyway.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    I have read comments a few times now that they sucker when cut back but have one planted and it regularly sends up suckers at various distances from the main plant without ever being cut back. It is just taking on its good Autumn colour now. Planting in a container sounds like a good idea but it would be good to use a big one to help the plant stay healthy and avoid it getting blown over.

    Happy gardening!
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
  • DiggyDiggersonDiggyDiggerson Posts: 16
    Thanks all for the input! 

    @GardenerSuze - Definitely up for considering something else. I really liked the look of this but none of this suckering business came up when I was researching it. Could you recommend anything similarly interesting to look at that's a little more well behaved? Otherwise maybe i'll go for the pot route and get a smaller one. Looking for something in the 5-10m range with a trunk length of around 2m.
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