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Real photographs from naturalists and photographers worldwide, each used under its own license. Credit: Photo by Pantazi Katerina / iNaturalist (CC BY), Photo by Максим Шумских / iNaturalist (CC BY) and Photo by Максим Шумских / iNaturalist (CC BY). How photos are sourced →
Smokebush
Cotinus coggygria
Also called smoke bush and smoke tree
Smokebush blooms from June through July.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Smokebush
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 10 ft tall and 10 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 5 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, 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, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
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. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 8, 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; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Smokebush get?
10 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult10 ftwideSee Smokebush in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Smokebush
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Smokebush about 10 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Smokebush to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Smokebush's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 4 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- treesandshrubsonline.orgTrees and Shrubs Online (International Dendrology Society)hardiness zones and trait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 6 varieties across 2 colors
Same genus, similar care - pick the color you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Smokebush group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Spirit | Foliage | Jun–Jul | Zones 5–8 | Full sun | 10 ft × 8 ft |
| Grace | Foliage | Jun–Jul | Zones 4–8 | Full sun | 13 ft × 11 ft |
| Royal Purple | Foliage | Jun–Jul | Zones 4–8 | Full sun | 11 ft × 10 ft |
| Smokebushthis page | Foliage | Jun–Jul | Zones 4–8 | Full sun | 10 ft × 10 ft |
| Velvet Cloak | Foliage | Jun–Jul | Zones 4–8 | Full sun | 11 ft × 10 ft |
| Winecraft Black | Foliage | Jun–Jul | Zones 4–8 | Full sun | 5 ft × 5 ft |
| Young Lady | Foliage | Jun–Aug | Zones 4–8 | Full sun | 6 ft × 6 ft |
Good to know about Smokebush
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
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.
Switchgrass
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.
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.
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.
Wisteria
Shares full sun and low to moderate water; blooms in mid spring, before this one opens; both offer pollinator forage, in different months; climbs to 26 ft behind it, height without the footprint.
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.