What Would Look Good With a Smoke Bush in Front of the House?

American Smoke Tree

• Since nurseries and garden centers may use "tree" and "bush" interchangeably, it is useful to know the difference between Cotinus obovatus and Cotinus coggygria. Cotinus obovatus, the native American tree, grows 20 to 40 feet tall, with blue-green deciduous foliage and inconspicuous yellow-green flowers. What makes it "smoke" are tiny filaments extending from spent flower clusters to create big whitish-pink clouds that darken to a smoky or purplish pink from summer to fall. In fall, the foliage changes to shades in the red family, from orange through purple, creating an arresting background for the cloud-clusters.

European Smoke Bush

• Cotinus hybrids like "Grace" (Cotinus "Grace"), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 5 through 9, show some traits that characterize all the European cultivars. Size is smaller; "Grace" is a 10- to 15-foot rounded shrub. Foliage shows reddish tendencies from spring emergence, taking on intense orange and red tones in fall. Filament-clusters are larger and puffier, with a stronger pink color. Popular European cultivars like "Royal Purple" and "Velvet Cloak" add purple foliage that changes to bright fall reds and oranges, and "Ancot" brings the shrub size down to under 10 feet high and 6 feet wide.

Landscaping with Smoke Bush

• One critical landscaping elements in successful use of smoke bush is managing its size. Allow plenty of space for smoke bush in front of the house. It makes a great corner anchor for landscaping that tapers downward toward the house entrance, especially with an asymmetric entryway. For a large house and lot, a smoke bush might stand next to a taller columnar tree, providing a visual transition to lower-lying flower beds. Its cloud-like qualities make it a refreshing addition to a border of mixed flowering shrubs.

Using Texture in Your Landscaping

• One way to let a smoke bush shine is to emphasize contrasts in texture over contrasts in color in your landscape. In spring, matte oval leaves create a flattish blue-green or wine-colored shape in your bed, transforming in summer to a huge pile of froth. Dark columnar evergreens like "Sky Pencil" holly (Ilex crenata "Sky Pencil") hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8, and shrubs or small trees with sharply incised leaves, like Japanese red maple (Acer palmantum var. atroppurpureum), hardy in zones 5 through 8, frame and contrast with the softness of smoke bush. Spiky-leaved irises (Iris spp.), hardy from USDA zone 3 through 10, and yucca (Yucca filamentosa "Color Guard," Adam's Needle), hardy in zones 5 through 10, provide a base of contrasting texture. Long-blooming shrubs like hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.), with a USDA hardiness range of zones 3 through 9, create a stable floral base above which smoke bush can float.

Enhancing Change

• A major part of smoke bush's long seasonal interest is change. Rather than framing it with plants of very consistent appearance, you may wish to select plants that are equally dynamic and responsive over the seasons. Varieties of Japanese maple both contrasts texturally and shares some of the color-change capacities of smoke bush. Pee Gee hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata "Pee Gee") is covered with flower clusters that change from greenish white and cream in the spring to dusky pink in fall, while oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia) have flowers that become tan, framed with bronzed or purple-toned foliage. In a nearby flower bed, echo the clouds of smoke bush with ornamental grasses that send up plumes or sedums like "Autumn Joy" (Sedum "Autumn Joy"), hardy in USDA zones 3 through 11, with similar spoon-shaped foliage and pink blooms in August through fall. Plant assorted varieties of coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), hardy in zones 3 through 8; a growing rainbow of hybrids extends the color range of coneflowers from creamy white through sunset shades to purple, resonating with smoke bush tonal changes.