Daily Dose Blogger Bios
To Smoke, or Not to Smoke?
I LOVE my purple smoke tree - Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' - I wait breathlessly for it to leaf out every spring. It has the most beautifully shaped leaves that emerge the deepest, velvety purple - and the veins are bright red! Magnifico!
I have one dilemma, however. You see, I grow this shrub for it's foliage, but the raison d'etre of the tree is to smoke - to bloom with pannicles of tiny flowers that look like puffs of smoke once the flowers are spent. But the leaves are bigger and darker if the branches are cut back to a basic framework - which sacrifices the bloom for that season. If the tree/shrub isn't cut, the branches tend to be bare at the base, with leaves and flowers toward the tips - a gawky look, but charming. What to do, what to do?
I pride myself on always trying to have my cake and eat it too. It practically never works, but I try! So with my Cotinus, I decided to cut back part of it to produce big leaves, and leave the rest of it to blossom and smoke. I know this won't be too kosher with my gardening bretheren, but I am here to play and discover. I may have discovered the perfect way to deal with smoke trees. This technique may come to be known in the future an 'Soler-izing'!
(- okay so I'm still a little off my game from the trauma of the toyon. Forgive my bad garden pun.)
I have a Royal Purple Smoke Tree. It was trained as a tree when I bought it. It does not have any lower branches - I do have to trim them off constantly though, it wants to go back to being a bush.
I did not know that trimming the branches back makes for better leafing. I wouldn't do that though, in deference to the "smoke" panicles. It is the tree's raison d'être. Though when they fall, the tumbleweed-like panicles look like I have dust bunnies throughout the garden.
JCharlier/www.ArtofGardening.org
Hi JCharlier! You and I have very good taste in shrubbery - this smoke tree is the best of the best. Of course, it isn't to be confuded with Dalea, the desert smoke tree, which looks like a big cloud of gray smoke - also very nice.
I agree about the flowers - if you have a smoke tree, shouldn't it smoke? But if you can stand it, try cutting it back one year so you can see the glory of the large, thick mophead of deep purple leaves. On second thought, don't do it! Because that is what got me into this smoke or don't smoke quandry to begin with - I saw the big leaves and wanted them, too.
It was like taking a bite from the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil!
I do think I am quite discerning when it comes to bushes. i didn't vote for either one.
Jim/www.ArtofGardening.org
I knew I had a tree form/shrub form choice, but I didn't realize cutting it back would give me better leaves. I guess I should have. Now I want to go cut mine back. Is it too late in the year? Mine's JUST about to start leafing out in zone 8.
It's your garden, I think you should do what you like. If you planted it for foliage, then it's serving its purpose.
JCharlier - your shrubbery instincts must me followed - you know what you're doing!
Nestmaker - I have cut my Cotinus back when almost fully leafed out ... the new growth came quickly and was lovely. I am always a little behind when it comes to cutting, planting, dividing - but one of the best things about gardening is that on the whole, nature is pretty forgiving!
Susa! Hi there! Our gardens are our little kingdoms, aren't they? The fun of it is doing what you want and not getting too caught up in what the books and experts say you 'Should' or 'Should Not' be doing. My problem at the moment is that I just can't decide on which I prefer!
The solution may be as simple as buying another Cotinus, so I'l have one that smokes, and a non-smoker. That way I'm having my tree and smoking it, too!
Germi, are you going to the LA Garden show this weekend? I have gone the past 2 years and been disappointed.
Tell me about it, Ohr - that so called garden show is a shameful disgrace. Last year I was so shocked at the low quality of the display gardens! I swear one of them used toilet paper as a decorative screening element.
I've been contemplating going. I might pop by Sunday morning. But my have very very low expectations. For being in a city that has so many amazing gardens and incredible gardeners in it, this show is a real snore...
Mybe I'll see you there. I just went to the hairdresser and got my haircolor re- done, so I'll be the red-head looking very fresh .... and pissed of at the lack of design talent present!
I sincerely hope I have to eat my words!
The only place I have seen smoke trees bloom with abandon is in their native habitat where it is dry, dry, dry! Yes, even dryer than that.
Maybe the dry season is the trigger that sets them off?
In fact, not to go on and on, but I've taken home some really good garden info by finding plants in the wild. Dogwood on a dry, sunny hill in Yosemite Valley. Who knew?
The most luscious columbine I've ever seen, in every color imaginable, growing in shale in the Sierras. What?
Penstemmon in such dry spots, they are dusty.
Nature is the best teacher.
Homebody.freedomblogging.com
I agree with you, OCgardener - we can learn so much by observing how plants behave in nature. I know that bloom can be triggered by withholding water, since blossoming is a plant's way of propagating itself and hedging it's bets against death. But wow - a dogwood, blooming when super dry? It goes against everything we're told!
But I also take everything I'm told with a grain of salt. Nature hasn't read the books the experts have. Trying things and experimenting in your garden always brings about surprising and wonderful results, as far as I'm concerned. As long as you take the occasional failure in stride. I've had to do alot of that over the years!
And please, never worry about going on and on - I can take it! I love people waxing on about plants - it's why I'm here!