Purple Smoke Bush

Purple Smoke Bush (Cotinus coggygria 'Atropurpureus') holds deep plum foliage right through summer, then throws up hazy pink plumes that hang over the bush like smoke. It reaches about 3m tall and 2.5m wide, small enough for a suburban garden and big enough to be the thing you look at. In autumn the leaves turn scarlet and orange before dropping.

Why you'll love it

• Purple that lasts all season. The foliage stays deep plum from spring to autumn, doing the work of a flowering shrub without needing to flower.
• The smoke is genuine. Spent flower panicles open into fine pink grey clouds that sit over the bush for weeks in summer.
• Two colour changes a year. Plum through summer, scarlet and orange in autumn, then a bare grey framework that suits a winter garden.
• It asks for very little. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, wind tolerant and content in poor soil, so a dry exposed corner is fair ground.

Where it works best

Feature planting in small gardens. At 3m by 2.5m it anchors a bed or a courtyard corner without taking it over, and the dark leaves set off silver and lime green neighbours.

Informal screening. Plant 1.5m to 2m apart for a loose summer screen. It is deciduous, so the screen opens up over winter and will not hide a fence all year.

Pots and containers. A pot 500mm or wider suits it and holds the plant near 1.5m to 2m. Keep the water up in summer, because a potted shrub loses most of its drought tolerance.

Growing purple smoke bush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, without compromise: shade turns the purple a muddy green and thins the smoke. Cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens suit it, and it is frost hardy enough for cold inland and southern winters. Humid subtropical and tropical summers bring leaf spotting and washed out colour.

Soil. Poor and stony is fine, rich and damp is not. Sharp drainage matters far more than fertility here, and generous feeding produces soft green growth at the expense of colour. Mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first two summers, then only in long dry spells. On reasonable soil you can skip fertiliser altogether and give it a light dressing of compost in spring.

Pruning. Prune in late winter while the plant is bare. A light trim keeps the shape and the flowers. Cutting hard to a low framework produces larger, more intense leaves but sacrifices that summer's smoke, so pick one or the other.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold as tubestock, a young single stemmed plant usually under 30cm. That is a genuine commitment: allow two to three years to reach 1.5m, and expect the first real smoke around year three, since young plants flower sparsely. Ordered in winter it may arrive leafless and dormant, which is normal for a deciduous shrub.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the deciduous shrub range
• Plants with strong autumn colour
• Plants that change colour through the year
• Shrubs and trees for small gardens

Common questions

Why has my smoke bush never smoked?

Usually age or pruning. Plants flower sparsely for their first two or three years, and cutting the bush hard each winter removes the wood that carries the panicles. Prune lightly and the smoke follows.

Does it drop its leaves?

Yes, it is fully deciduous. Expect bare branches from late autumn until early spring, which is why it works better as a feature plant than as a year round screen.

How do I keep the purple strong?

Full sun and lean soil. Both shade and heavy feeding push the leaves back towards green, and once that happens the only fix is to move it or stop fertilising.