Smoketree, Royal Purple

Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'

Height: 10-15ft
Spread: 15-20ft
Zone: 4-8
Exposure: Full sun
Growth Rate: Moderate
Bloom Time/Color: May-July; purple
Uses: Specimen, hedge, borders, screen
Maintenance: Medium
Other: Fall color, deer resistant

Smokebush, or smoketree, is a very sought-after large shrub for its purple attributes throughout the growing season. In late spring, fluffy, smoky reddish-purple plumes appear after flowering and give the shrub its namesake. The oval leaves remain purple through the growing season; emerging reddish in spring, darkening to a blackish-purple through the summer, and fading to a bronzy-purple in autumn. Plants suffer very little from insects or disease and are often overlooked by deer. Smokebush does best in well drained soils in full sun; it hates wet, poor-draining soils.