Ode to Smoke Bush

I love this plant, Smoke Bush or cotinus coggygria, a deciduous shrub with beautiful purple-pink smokey plumes. Its leaves can be waxy green or purple and its name “smoke bush”comes from the billowy hairs attached to its flower clusters.

It is a wonderful specimen plant in your garden and or can also be used as a screening hedge. It will bloom from Spring through mid-Summer and loves full sun. You can prune it anytime your like. Best time to prune is late Winter, but I take the opportunity to prune when it is looking leggy and I want to bring some inside for decoration or use for a Summer event. Make sure to cut the wood at an angle to create more surface area for the plant to drink.

The romance of this shrub creates a moody and etherial dimension to any floral arrangement. I can’t wait to use this in making cloud-like floral installations this Summer. It lends itself perfectly for this, with its smokey foliage and also can be out of water for good bit, too. Enjoy!