Cotinus - autumn awaits you

The oval leaves and habit of Cotinus make it a perfect choice for mixed border planting where it blends well with other shrubs and herbaceous plants and we await with baited breath as the Cotinus smoky flowers begin to fade and the anticipated autumn colour starts to just begin to take on its autumn display.   

Cotinus are known for their plumes of flowers produced in great abundance that give the illusion of puffs of smoke leading to the common name ‘Smoke Bush’.  But the real joy a Cotinus brings are the leaves and the blazing autumn leaf colours. 

Cotinus can’t be beat for an autumn spectacle and we have a great range in stock ready for the autumn blaze of colour.  Grow in sun or partial shade but for the best foliage colour then plant is as much sun as possible. 

We have some popular choices in stock and others that are less well known but more compact in habit and all just a month or so away from providing an autumn extravaganza that your clients will love. 

• Dusky Maiden.  A compact form reaching 2m with small purple leaves that take on bright orange and red in the autumn. 
• Flamissimo.  Compact form reaching 3m.  Purple foliage with orange -red autumn colour. 
• Golden Spirit.  Dense spreading habit reaching 1.8m in height.  Gold leaves that turn orange-red in the autumn. 
• Grace.  The Cotinus that started it all back in the day.  A vigorous choice reaching 6m with oval, purple leaves that colour to bright red in the autumn. 
• Lilla.  Dwarf, compact and slow growing making it an excellent option for smaller gardens.  Oval, deep purple leaves turning shades of red, orange and yellow in the autumn.  1.2m height. 
• Royal Purple.  Probably the best known Cotinus reaching a height of 4m.  Foliage appears flushed bronze in spring maturing to green and the brilliant yellow, orange, red and purple autumn foliage. 
• Smokey Joe.  Fresh green foliage turning yellow, orange and red in the autumn.  Height 2m. 
• Winecraft Black.  Dark purple summer foliage with a rich autumn leaf colour.  Height 2.5m
• Young Lady.  A compact Cotinus reaching 1.2m in height.  The leaves are almost circular and emerge golden yellow in spring maturing to green and then take on red – yellow in the autumn. 

 

         

Flamissimo                               Grace                                          Golden Spirit                              Lilla

Pruning Guide:

There are 2 ways to prune a Cotinus depending on what you want your plant to do:

• A light prune in the late winter to early spring will help your Cotinus retain its shape
• A harder prune in the late winter to early spring will encourage most Cotinus to send up growth with very large leaves in the following growing season.  This type of pruning is recommended for plants that have been in the ground for at least 2-3 years.