Where's There's Smoke
Smokebush plants are named for their fluffy flower clusters.
Autumn colours don't disappoint.
Royal Purple smokebush is sending smoke signals.
Simple and tiny flowers arise from long, thin stemmed stems.
Seeds hang from fuzzy hair-like stems.
Fall colours are amazing.
Autumnal colours are a rainbow of colours.
Water droplets linger on their waxy foliage.
A stunning Royal Purple specimen.
Golden Spirit is a lime green cultivar.
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Common Name: Smokebush, smoketree
Botanical Name: Cotinus coggygria Form: upright irregular round loose-spreading, multi-stemmed tree/shrub Family: Anacardiaceae Genus: Cotinus Species: coggygria Plant Type: deciduous shrubby tree Mature Size: 10ft to 15ft x 15ft to 20ft Growth: fast Origin: central China to Southern Europe Hardiness Zone: 5 to 8 Foliage: purple ovate (round to oval), waxy, simple 3” long, good gold, red and purplish red Flowers: May to July, tiny clusters of pink or yellow on branching panicles 6-8” long Fruit: small seeds Stems: woody Exposure: sun to partial shade Soil: good drainage essential Uses: specimen, accent, screen, informal hedge, border Attracts: bees, butterflies & other pollinators Invasive Tendencies: no Propagation: seeds, cuttings Pruning: in winter when dormant Problems: no serious insects, slight issue with rust, leaf spot, verticillium wilt Comments Smokebush plants, Cotinus coggygria, are bold, bodacious, colourful large shrubs, or small trees, with unusual fuzzy flower clusters that resemble smoke plumes. These tough plants are easy to grow, are not fussy about soil, have a nicely shaped canopy, look good in every season, have pretty foliage, unusual, showy flowers and vivid autumnal colours. Smokebush foliage is neatly oval, up to 3-inches long. They vary in colour from green, chartreuse to purple depending on the cultivar. Because their leaves have a waxy coating water beads on them like diamonds. Their insignificant yellowish or pinkish flowers grow on branching clusters. The long hair-like flower stalks persist and turn a smoky pink to purplish pink in summer. They fill the tree fluffy, hazy, smoke-like puffs throughout summer, hence their common name. Planting & Care Tolerates a wide range of soils except wet, poorly drained ones. Smokebush plants don’t mind nutrient poor and rocky soils if the drainage is good. Because plants have shallow fibrous root systems, they need a 3 inch of organic mulch on top of the ground. When planting, dig the hole the same depth of the rootball and 2 to 5 times as wide. Add bonemeal according to the instructions. Firm the soil around the roots. Set the crown of the plant (where the stems and root join) at ground level. Water well to saturate the soil and roots. Water every other day until new growth sprouts, then once a week, then as needed. Pruning Although Smokebush shrubs only grow to 15 feet in height, they have a wide 20 foot canopy. Give them lots of room. Luckily, they respond well to pruning if need be. Do so in winter when they are dormant. Cut back plant by 1/3 and remove all crossing, weak stems. Notable Cultivars Golden Spirit: A brilliant chartreuse foliage becomes yellow in summer then turn to an orange red in autumn, 8’ (2.4m) x 15’ (4.5m), maybe trimmed to a 6’ hedge. Royal Purple: This popular smokebush leaves are rich deep red in spring that darken to purplish red in the summer. Autumn colours are amazing in apricot, gold and purple, 15’(4.5m). 
The chartreuse leaves of a Golden Spirit smokebush.
Golden Spirit's smoke is green.
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