How to Grow and Care for Smoketrees

Smoketree is a deciduous tree native to Southern Europe and Central China. The flowers of the smoketree are pinkish-purple and long-lasting. They grow in clusters along branches and give a smoky appearance to the tree when in bloom. In China, they are used as important fall decorations due to their foliage turn bright red in the fall.

The American Smoketree is a small, deciduous tree with decorative bark and fall foliage. Its large leaves are pink during the summer and slowly become green or blue as the season changes. It’s generally found in rocky limestone bluffs or glades, and it makes a striking accent in the garden.

Cotinus coggygria var. pubescens is adorned with velvety, hair-covered leaves, contributing to a soft texture. In the summer, it showcases feathery, smoke-like flower plumes that captivate with a hazy pinkish hue. This deciduous shrub thrives in well-drained soils, flourishing under full sun with a resilience that suits various temperate landscapes. Its multi-stemmed form and striking autumnal foliage make it a visual standout.

Smoketree 'Grace' is a cultivar created by crossing the American smoketree with a regular smoketree to produce a tree which has a beautiful color foliage and abundant flowers. The foliage is light red initially and darkens to deep red, finally turning orange in the fall. The flowers are pink and feathery, which from a distance looks like smoke and gives the plant its name.

Smoketree 'Royal Purple', also known as smokebush, gets its name both from its profusion of purple-red leaves, and from the ‘fluffy’ appearances of its flowers which are pale and plumy and look like smoke from a distance. This popular variant can grow up to 4.5 m tall and wide and is visually striking in a garden.