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About this plant
Smoke tree Cotinus
Smoke bushes (Cotinus) form a small genus of deciduous shrubs and small trees: one species from southern Europe to China, and one from North America. In summer the flower stalks lengthen into fine, feathery hairs, so that the shrub seems wrapped in pink or grey smoke. The rounded leaves colour vividly in autumn and smell of resin when crushed.
Cotinus coggygria
The smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria) grows wild on dry, stony, mostly chalky slopes from southern Europe to Central Asia and China. It forms a broad, irregular, multi-stemmed shrub of about 3 m, older plants exceeding 4 m. Tiny greenish flowers in June and July are followed by large, airy plumes in smoky pink, lasting much of the summer.
Location and soil
A sunny position gives the most plumes and the brightest autumn colours of yellow, orange and scarlet. It accepts poor, stony, chalky or slightly acid soils provided they drain well; clay is fine if it does not stay waterlogged in winter. It is hardy in Belgium and very drought-tolerant.
Pruning and care
Water generously at planting and during the first summer. Pruning is optional: in late winter, in February or March, cut out dead wood, misplaced branches and a few old stems. Avoid hard cutting back if you want plumes the following summer.
Use in the garden
Plant it as a solitary shrub, in a natural or dry garden, or in a large informal hedge with other sturdy shrubs. With age it can be trained into a small tree with one or more trunks. The many purple- and golden-leaved forms extend its use in colour schemes.
Plant characteristics
Botanical
| Family | Anacardiaceae |
| Genus | Cotinus |
| Species | coggygria |
| Cultivar | 'Lisjo' |
| Trade name | Smokey Joe (PBR) |
Flowering
| Flowering period | august to september |
| Colour (flower) | red, pink |
Foliage
| Evergreen | no |
| Colour (foliage) | green |
| Autumn colour | orange, red |
Growth habit
| Height | 200 cm |
Location
| Winter hardiness | -20 °C |
| Location | sun, half shade |
Use
| Type (use) | shrub, solitary, in group |
Care
| Pruning | february to march |
Plant breeders' rights
Cotinus coggygria 'Lisjo' SMOKEY JOE (PBR) is subject to European Plant Breeders Rights under nr. 20041457. Asexual propagation and/or use of the trademark without license are prohibited.
