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Smokebush
Cotinus coggygria
Also called smoke bush and smoke tree
Smokebush blooms from June through July.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Smokebush
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 9.8 ft tall and 9.8 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 5 years.
When to plant Smokebush
Plant Smokebush in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. For the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 8 range, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to July.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar: for the middle of its range, start with zone 6 in March.
Comes in 6 varieties across 2 colors
Same plant, same care - pick the color you are growing.
Good to know about Smokebush
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Related to poison ivy; contact with the resinous sap may cause contact dermatitis, especially in people already sensitive to poison ivy. Wear gloves when pruning. per NC State
Worth knowing
The famous 'smoke' is not the flowers. It comes from fine hairs on the spent flower stalks, which turn smoky pink and hang like hazy puffs all summer. per NC State
Prune for foliage or smoke
The smoke forms on old wood. Cut back hard in late winter for vivid foliage and you lose that year's smoke; prune lightly to keep it. per NC State and University of Illinois
Cold limit is disputed
Some sources rate it hardy to zone 4, others only to zone 5. In zone 4 it is marginal: give it a sheltered spot and expect possible winter dieback. per NC State and UMass
Watch for verticillium wilt
Smoketree is very susceptible to verticillium wilt, a soilborne fungus that enters the roots and clogs the water-conducting tissue, wilting and killing whole branches. per NC State
Grown for its foliage
Many types are grown for leaf color, not flowers: deep purple 'Royal Purple' and 'Velvet Cloak', or gold 'Golden Spirit'. Full sun gives the best color. per NC State
Good fall color
Deciduous with variable but often good fall color: the species leans yellow-orange, while cultivars can turn red-purple, orange-red, gold and burgundy. per NC State
Deer resistant
NC State rates smoketree deer resistant on both the species and 'Royal Purple' pages, so browsing deer tend to leave it alone. per NC State
What pairs well with Smokebush
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Goldenrod
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late summer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Autumn Joy Sedum
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late summer as this one finishes; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Sea Thrift
Shares full sun and low water; opens in mid spring and overlaps into this one's season; low at 8 in, to carpet the ground beneath; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter.
Grape Hyacinth
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in early spring, before this one opens; low at 8 in, to carpet the ground beneath; both offer pollinator forage, in different months.
Flowering Crabapple
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; taller at 20 ft, for the layer behind it.
Fountain Grass
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late summer as this one finishes; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Switchgrass
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late summer as this one finishes; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
Little Bluestem
Shares full sun and low water; blooms in late summer as this one finishes; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds.
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