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Cotinus coggygria 'Old Fashioned'PBR

smoke tree 'Old Fashioned'

An upright, bushy deciduous shrub with rounded, brightly coloured foliage. Foliage emerges purple-red, maturing to blue-green then turning to autumnal shades of pink, orange and red. Yellow-green feathery plumes of flowers, which look like smoke, appear in late spring to early summer

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Size
Ultimate height
2.5–4 metres
Time to ultimate height
10–20 years
Ultimate spread
2.5–4 metres
Growing conditions
Chalk
Clay
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Yellow Green Purple Red
Summer Yellow Green Blue Green
Autumn Pink Orange Red
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade
Aspect

South–facing or West–facing or East–facing

Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H5
Botanical details
Family
Anacardiaceae
Native to the UK
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy, Spreading branched
Genus

Cotinus are large deciduous shrubs or small trees with simple, obovate leaves often colouring well in autumn, and insignificant flowers borne in large, plumy panicles in summer becoming colourful in fruit

Name status

Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Grows well in most well-drained fertile soil in full sun or partial shade. Leaf colour and flowering may be poor in deep shade and may struggle in very wet or very dry soil. See Cotinus for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Cut flowers
  • Flower borders and beds
Pruning

Pruning group 1, but responds well to renovative pruning where older plants have become overgrown in late winter or early spring

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), verticillium wilt and powdery mildews in dry conditions

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