Place a single specimen in an area of the yard that receives low sun early or late in the day for a dramatic display of backlit foliage. Plant a dwarf variety with colored foliage in a decorative container and place near a patio or deck where you can enjoy the multi-seasonal display up close. Use a larger, fast-growing variety to create screening along a property line for privacy or to obstruct unsightly views. Train them into small trees for a compelling grouping, and underplant with seasonal annuals for an extra punch of color. Devote a corner of the yard to several varieties of differing colors and sizes. This will help break up the view and create visual impact. Plant a larger specimen in a small island bed in your lawn and train into a small smoke bush tree. Create a foundation planting along the front of your home with smaller varieties combined with conifers or other multi-seasonal shrubs for continuous color throughout the year. Plant a purple smoke bush next to a complementary-hued shrub such as ‘Sundance’ choisya or ‘Sun King’ aralia for dramatic contrast. Integrate with regional natives in a woodland border to attract insect pollinators and enhance a naturalized setting. There are many ways to incorporate smoke bush into your landscape. Smoke bush is considered deer-resistant, though extreme conditions can result in deer grazing on plants they wouldn’t otherwise. Plants can develop leaf spot, rust, powdery mildew, or verticillium wilt due to damp conditions or poorly draining soil. When planted in optimal conditions and properly maintained, smoke bush exhibits few, if any problems. Smoke bush is drought tolerant once established. (Learn more about fertilizers and organic soil amendments.) Watering: In spring, mulch with 1 to 3 inches of organic matter such as wood chips or bark mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture. If desired, fertilize in spring with a slow-release all-purpose fertilizer or add a layer of rich compost around the root ball of the plant, avoiding the woody stem. Smoke bush needs little or no supplemental fertilizer once established. Slightly acidic pH is preferable, but plants can tolerate acid or alkaline soil. It doesn’t do well in heavy clay or poor-draining soils. Smoke bush can tolerate in a wide variety of conditions including lean, rocky soils. To train into a small tree, cut out all but one or more of the main trunks and limb up the side shoots. While this will control the plant’s size and create a unique ornamental effect, blooms will be sacrificed. This will promote new vertical shoots with larger leaves and enhanced foliage coloration. Plants can also be kept smaller by cutting them back hard to the ground. Since smoke bush blooms on the previous year’s growth, hold off on any major pruning until after summer flowering. In late winter or early spring, cut out dead, diseased and crossing branches, and lightly shape as needed. Larger varieties can also be trained into small trees. Plants can be allowed to reach their natural shape and size, kept to a smaller size, or shaped as hedging. Refrain from pruning for the first few years, as it can take that long for young specimens to bloom. 
coggygria), which comprises most ornamental varieties, is indigenous to Europe and parts of Asia. American smoke tree ( Cotinus obovatus) is native to the southern US.Types:Īlso known as smoke tree, or smoke bush tree, this member of the sumac family includes two species:
Fall color is red, yellow, orange, purple, or coral. Panicles occur in shades of cream, pink, mauve, or purple that shift in color as they age. The puffy spent blooms, which resemble cotton candy, can reach 12 inches long. Tiny yellow or cream flowers appear in spring showy panicles which develop into even showier puffs with a hazy, smoke-like appearance that last for several months. This deciduous woody shrub or small tree has dense, multi-stemmed branching, with green, purple, or gold leaves. Exposure:įull sun to partial shade bloom and foliage color is best with at least six hours of direct sunlight. Upright bushy or open habit, 4 to 30 feet tall and 4 to 25 feet wide, depending on variety.
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