Beauty and the Beast – Trumpet Vine, Rose of Sharon, Sumac – Why grow these shrubs? it’s a paradox

Trumpet Vine, Rose of Sharon, Sumac. Why would anyone want to plant these shrubs in a pool garden, patio, or outdoor living room? Each of them is a beast that can never be fully tamed, a beast that will require diligence and persistence to control and keep in check.

The answer to this question does not lie in its bestial qualities but in its beauty. It is a paradox worth examining.

Beauty and the Beast is a classic fairy tale based on a paradox. A paradox is a literary term defined briefly as the juxtaposition of two seemingly contradictory or conflicting images or ideas that ironically do not contradict or conflict with each other; rather, when taken together, the paradoxical terms actually form a surprising new perspective on your subject. Beautiful Belle and the Beast shouldn’t fall in love, but they do, and their love sheds new light on the nature of relationships and love itself. However, the paradox is not just a literary term; it is a fact of life, a complexity that adds interest and beauty to whatever aspect of life it manifests. That reality includes landscaping an outdoor living room.

Yes, trumpet vine, rose of sharon, and sumac are beasts, but they are also beauties worth fighting for. However, it is important to understand the dark side of their nature before committing them to any landscape project.

All three of these shrubs share the same bestial tendencies. They are predators with a pack mentality that wants to expand, conquer and dominate new hunting grounds. In simple terms, they will spread everywhere if allowed. They will grow outward from the original planting spot; they will also sprout all over the yard at considerable distances where they are least expected or even wanted. If they are allowed to settle in a new location, they will be much more difficult to control. Constant vigilance will be necessary. This is not a war that can ultimately be won, but a battle that will be fought over and over again forever. Remember, however, that gardening, like life, is a journey and most of your greatest rewards come from overcoming the obstacles of the journey, not from reaching the final destination.

So why grow trumpet vine, rose of sharon, and sumac? Very simple, because each one is a beauty and each one is worth the effort.

Trumpet vine is a climber, like ivy, that can grow on any structure. The bright orange, conical or trumpet-shaped flowers will attract hummingbirds for breath-taking entertainment. This vine can transform a simple chain-link fence into a living privacy wall that is as attractive as any hedge but requires less space. If grown on a trellis, it can be used as a room divider on a patio or deck. An attractive entrance to an outdoor living area can be created by growing trumpet vines over a cedar arbor or a series of these covered arbors can be arranged along a pathway to form a shady pathway to an outdoor room to another. Place a garden bench, porch swing, or glider in the middle of this walkway for a romantic retreat. A segment of a poolside patio can be draped with a simple trumpet vine-covered pagoda to provide a shady escape from the sunbathing terrace when desired. This covered pagoda could house some comfortable Adirondack chairs, another swing, or a dining table for poolside meals. This vine can also twist and climb a single stake to form a small umbrella-shaped flowering specimen tree for a patio or garden. Either of these options makes Trumpet Vine worth fighting to control.

Next, the rose of sharon is a small tree and a member of the hibiscus family, a poor cousin perhaps but a hardy one. It will survive and flourish in cooler climate zones in the northern states and Canada where hibiscus will not. Its flower is somewhat smaller and less luxuriant than the hibiscus, but it is still beautiful and very abundant, sprouting from the ends of its branches from mid-summer to fall, when many other flowers in the garden begin to fade. Shades of purple are dominant, ranging from shades of pink to lighter mauves and deeper lilacs; however, some beauties are brilliant white with a deep red heart. Trees can be allowed to grow longer to center a patio or garden; they can also be kept smaller and trimmed into an inverted cone shape that gives them the appearance of a giant vase of flowers when in full bloom; finally, they can even be grown together in a row to create an eye-catching hedge. Rose of Sharon, then, is also worth the effort to contain it.

Finally, save the humble sumac. These fast-growing trees are often seen growing in ditches and marshy areas and along the shoulders and medians of major highways. Many consider them no more than weeds or scrub, worthy of any serious garden or well-designed outdoor living room landscaping. Some of us, however, exclaim: NOT LIKE THAT! Upon closer examination, certain unique and attractive features emerge. In the spring, the new branches that grow have a soft, hairy or silky texture, much like the cottontails or antlers of young bucks. The flowers are large corncob-shaped clusters in a dark brown or rust color resembling tropical fruits that appear in late summer and often last until the snow falls. The leaves are long, pointed green ovals that grow on either side of the young branches, often weighing them down a bit to give a drooping appearance; in autumn, when the colors change, they range from banana, through orange, to bright pomegranate. In summer, when these leaves are dark green and drooping, the branches take on the appearance of palm trees, or at least as close as one can find in climates where palm trees do not grow. The fact that they grow so quickly and often in an odd way allows them to be trimmed back and shaped into whatever shape the owner desires, like a bonzai tree; they can be grown to resemble tall or short palm trees, or even made to take on a jagged, windblown look taken from a northern lake or cliff. There are also fancier varieties that have been bred to have even more hairy branches, split leaves like Japanese maples, and bright yellow leaves. So no gardener, landscaper, or homeowner should be afraid to give humble sumacs a fair consideration before dismissing them as nothing more than a weed and nuisance.

To conclude, in his classic novel, A tale of two cities, Charles Dickens said of life in France before the revolution: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times” – another famous paradox. Well, having one or all of these three shrubs (trumpet vine, rose of sharon, and sumac) in a garden or outdoor living room landscaping can be just that: the best and the worst all at once. They are all beauties and they are all beasts. That duality must be embraced; the subsequent journey will be its own reward.