Culture
Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. Tolerates a wide range of soils except wet, poorly-drained ones. Prefers somewhat infertile loams, but performs well in poor, rocky soils. Sharp drainage is essential. Plants have shallow fibrous root systems. If bloom is desired, prune very lightly in early spring only as needed. If bloom is not a concern, stems may be cut back hard in early spring to a framework to induce growth of vigorous new shoots with larger than normal leaves.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Cotinus coggygria, commonly known as smoketree, is an upright, loose-spreading, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub that is native from southern Europe to central China. It typically matures over time to 10-15’ tall and as wide. It gets its common name of smoketree (or smokebush) not from the tiny, insignificant, yellowish flowers which appear in branching, terminal panicles (to 6-8” long) in spring, but from the billowy hairs (attached to elongated stalks on the spent flower clusters) which turn a smokey pink to purplish pink in summer, thus covering the tree with fluffy, hazy, smoke-like puffs throughout summer. Bluish green leaves (to 3” long) are ovate to obovate. Fall color is highly variable, but at its best produces attractive shades of yellow, orange, and purplish-red.
Genus name comes from the Greek word kotinus meaning olive.
Specific epithet comes from the Greek word kokkugia meaning smoke tree.
GOLDEN SPIRIT (‘Ancot’) is a smoketree cultivar that is grown for its unusual golden foliage. This is a deciduous, upright, loose-spreading, multi-stemmed shrub that typically grows 8-15’ tall and as wide, however it can be easily kept more compact through annual pruning. Ovate to obovate, yellow leaves (to 3” long) suffused with green retain good color throughout summer, but turn amber, burgundy, scarlet and green in fall. There are questions, however, as to whether GOLDEN SPIRIT should be expected to flower and smoke in the garden. U. S. Plant Patent PP13,082 was issued October 15, 2002 for this plant. The patent documents state that GOLDEN SPIRIT was grown and tested over a four year period, and that “no flowering has been observed by the inventor to date.” On the other hand, many nurseries currently claim that GOLDEN SPIRIT regularly produces tiny yellow flowers in spring followed by the signature post-bloom smoky summer panicles that appear on most other C. coggygria cultivars.
Problems
No serious insect or disease problems. Some susceptibility to leaf spot, rust and verticillium wilt.
Uses
Single specimen, group or mass in shrub borders or sunny areas around the home. Long-lasting summer smoke display makes this a striking accent plant. Also may be used as an informal hedge or screen (a smoke screen as it were).