If you are looking for a sensational shot of autumnal colour to inject life into your tired borders, look no further than a cotinus shrub, commonly named a smoke bush.

Smoke bushes are easy care, large shrubs which take on a myriad of warm autumn colours as the temperatures start to drop. Each leaf on each individual bush is slightly different to the next, dependant on their situation and local weather conditions, but most are a mixture of reds, purples, oranges, and yellows.

The shrub does not get its name from the colour of the leaves though, but from the wispy flowers it produces in mid-summer which look like smoke trails.

Planting Situation

Smoke bushes can be planted in partial shade and will grow well, but the leaf colour will not be as strong as when it is planted in a sunny position.

Do give it room for growth as some varieties can grow up to 6m high and 5m wide in borders, and you want to be able to appreciate the mosaic of rich colours.

It requires soil that does not become waterlogged in winter or dries out in summer. Smoke bushes can be grown in containers.

Care

Feed the plant in springtime with a controlled-release fertiliser, and apply a thick mulch in autumn around the base.

In order to get the brightest leaves on a smoke bush, cut back the stems to around half their length in early spring, before the new growth starts. The harder you prune it back, the better the new foliage will be.

The stems you prune back though will not flower that summer so if you wish to get the best of both worlds, cut back half of the older stems one year, leaving the rest to flower, and prune back the flowering stems the following year.

Varieties to Try

Cotinus ‘Grace’ is a beautiful copper-purple colour in spring and summer, with deep pink flowers, erupting to deep reds, oranges, and golds in autumn.

Cotinus ‘Notcutt’s Variety’ has purple-red leaves which produce pale pink flowers. The leaves turn shades of red and orange come autumn.

Cotinus ‘Royal Purple’ has really deep, purple leaves which turn a rich red in autumn, after the purple-pink flowers tipped with yellow fade.