Smokebush Care Instructions

Scientific Name: Cotinus coggygria  or Cotinus obovatus

Category: Flowering deciduous ornamental shrub

Habit: Broad, spreading shrub with a generally irregular, open silhouette

Growth rate: Moderate/fast

Fertilization: Spring or fall- Espoma: Holly Tone, Plant Tone, Tree Tone

Landscape benefits and culture: This plant is useful primarily as a foliage color accent, with burgundy and purple leaf selections leading the way in popularity. The icing on the cake are the unique, frothy summer flower clusters. Perhaps best in massed groupings of three to maximize the color effect. Full sun for best plant density and leaf color.  Tolerant of a wide range of soils, but must be well-drained- not the plant choice for sodden, low-lying sites.

Pruning: Many people treat them as perennials, pruning close to the ground in late winter to encourage entirely new vigorous shoots which display the most intense coloration. Try to avoid heavy pruning during the growing season as numerous open wounds can be an entry point for Verticillium wilt, a serious vascular fungus disease.

Potential pests/issues: Verticillium wilt (see Pruning above)