'Smoke Bush' Steals the Show

The Smoke Bush rules in June and July!
 I planted a red-purple leaved variety of Smoke Bush (Cotinus coggygria) in my small front yard years ago and it has been a stalwart eye catcher from the beginning. It makes the front of my house extra-ordinary in early summer.

'Royal Purple' Cotinus

As a result, I use the oval purple foliage of cotinus in many of my landscapes - it makes a great backdrop and can also be a sturdy specimen shrub...and it is DEER RESISTANT.


The Cotinus species is a rounded, bushy shrub that is happy and hardy wherever you plant it.  Known as Smoke Bush due to the 'smoke-like' appearance of its delicate flower clusters in summer,  it can even be adapted to a planter.

  Both the varieties of smoke bush - green with flowers and the red leaved variety  - are in this planter

The burgundy leaves of the 'Royal Purple' Smokebush deepen through the summer, turning a vibrant purple-red in fall, especially dramatic in full sun. Its colored leaves are its signature since 'Royal Purple' does not flower as reliably as the green leaved Smoke bush varieities.

Red leaved Smoke Bush with Japanese painted fern - a lovely combo.  Photo by Jan Johnsen

One reason you may not see Smoke Bush often is that it grows slowly and does not look like much when you first plant it. But after a few years, Smoke Bush comes into its own. Just give it a little time and do not be afraid to keep it in check by pruning down tall branches in late winter /early spring.  Aggresive pruning also ensures slightly larger leaves on a Smoke Bush!

Comments

  1. lam5991June 17, 2010 at 12:50 AM

    Thanks for this post on Smoke Bush. It is a beautiful plant, and apparently it is deer resistant! I will definitely give it a try!

    ReplyDelete
  2. BrittJune 17, 2010 at 4:46 PM

    I love this plant!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownDecember 5, 2012 at 5:14 AM

    Thanks for sharing this plant with good maintanance !!i try to grow in my garden too

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thomas B ClarkeApril 30, 2013 at 9:35 PM

    Jan - I am the caretaker of the Gethsemane Prayer Garden in Syracuse NY. I am looking to plant a visual screen using purple smoke bush (Cotinus Coggygria Attropurpurea). My intent is to plant 5 bushes staggered about seven or eight feet apart. Is that too close in your opinion?

    Thank you,
    Tom Clarke

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jan JohnsenMay 2, 2013 at 8:14 AM

    For a screen I would place them even closer - 4 ft. ..They grow very slowly in the beginning. Make sure to aggressively prune them in the spring. Right now! Good Luck.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownJuly 9, 2013 at 8:28 PM

    Hello, Jan,

    You have the BEST information in your blog about 'my' beloved Purple Smoke Bush! I bought an established bush, and it has been a very fast grower, getting much taller and more full than I expected -- so much so that my husband has pruned it within an inch of its life in August and again in late winter.

    It hasn't bloomed since he started doing that. Is there a correlation or is that just Purple's temperamental blooming nature, do you think?

    Thank you so much!
    Bobeau

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. blkrascalMay 30, 2014 at 3:13 AM

      When you prune it, it won't flower the next year. You can prune it almost to the ground and that encourages more branches. So if you want it to be fuller you give up one year of blooms but it is worth it because then you get more blooms from more stems from then on.!

      Delete
  7. Jan JohnsenJuly 13, 2013 at 5:34 PM

    I did not prune my purple smoke bush this late winter as I always do and guess what? It bloomed like crazy! So do not prune in late winter...anytime until Labor Day is fine- not later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownJuly 29, 2013 at 11:51 PM

      Thank you so much! I'll let you know how it goes next year.

      Delete
  8. UnknownOctober 11, 2013 at 7:05 PM

    Belíssimo blog, parabéns!

    ReplyDelete
  9. UnknownJuly 7, 2014 at 11:26 AM

    Jan,
    Our smoke bush is blooming like crazy if the front of the bush and looks beautiful. The problem is that the back of the bush had no growth and appears to be dead. What would you suggest?
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownJuly 7, 2014 at 11:27 AM

    Jan,
    Our smoke bush is blooming like crazy if the front of the bush and looks beautiful. The problem is that the back of the bush had no growth and appears to be dead. What would you suggest?
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousFebruary 23, 2015 at 5:07 AM

    I was pinning away for such type of blogs, thanks for posting this for us.Kayfun V4

    ReplyDelete
  12. ChproutJuly 9, 2016 at 5:34 PM

    My Royal Purple Smokebush, which I got at a nursery, not a big box store, was very deep burgundy in the spring when I planted it. I live in Virginia and it's HOT now, in July. The leaves have pretty much gone all green with red around the edges. Any new baby growth looks like burgundy, but again, it's all turned green. What can I do to get it back to purple/burgundy, which is why I bought it. Also, it's smaller, probably about 3 feet tall, full of leaves, but has not "flowered" yet. Any ideas?

    ReplyDelete
  13. UnknownJuly 3, 2020 at 12:42 PM

    Is it poisonous to dogs and cats?

    ReplyDelete

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