Planting Cotinus from Monrovia
I have several allées of trees here at my Bedford, New York farm - those beautiful and dramatic roads with a line of selected trees or large shrubs running along each side. It takes a lot of thoughtful planning to design them and a lot of effort to maintain them through the years.
Not long ago, as part of a delivery of plants from the wholesale nursery, Monrovia, I received a number of Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' - a deciduous shrub that's also commonly known as smoke bush, smoke tree, and purple smoke tree. I love Cotinus and have many planted around my home. I have about 100 planted in an allée along the carriage road through my hayfields. This allée is also planted with a collection of London plane trees. Some of the Cotinus here had died and needed replacing. The smoke bushes from Monrovia were just perfect for this area.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Smoke bushes, Cotinus, are among my favorite of small trees – they have superlative color, appealing form, and look excellent in the gardens.
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- This allée was first planted in October of 2019. I chose to plant two rows of London plane trees – 46-trees in all. And then next to them, the smoke bushes. When selecting a location, always consider the tree’s growth pattern, space needs, and appearance.
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- Here is what the allée looked like the following summer. The smoke bushes grew quite a bit. Cotinus is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs. They are a great choice for massing or for hedges. These specimens were all purchased as small whips – slender, unbranched shoots or plants. I like to nurture them for a year or two in pots before placing them in the ground – this way they are planted as bigger, stronger specimens.
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- And as the saying goes in gardening, “first sleep, then creep, then leap.” This is what the trees looked like in July of 2021.
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- Over the next year, both the London planetrees and the Cotinus filled out. This photo was taken in June of 2022.
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- And this is the allée now. So lush and the bold colors of the specimens look amazing together. The Cotinus can grow to a moderate size – up to 15-feet tall and 10-feet wide. I also love its upright, multi-stemmed habit.
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- These smoke bushes have stunning dark red-purple foliage that turns scarlet in autumn and has plume-like seed clusters, which appear after the flowers and give a long-lasting, smoky haze to the branch tips.
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- The leaves of smoke bushes are waxy purple and are one and a half to three inches long, and ovate in shape.
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- This is one of the London plane trees. This one is about 16-feet tall. The London plane tree, Platanus × acerifolia, is a deciduous tree. It is a cross between two sycamore species: Platanus occidentalis, the American sycamore, and Platanus orientalis, the Oriental plane. London planes grow best in full sun, but they also thrive in partial shade.
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- The bark is medium gray and smooth. When mature, the bark shows a distinctive camouflage pattern as patches of green or brown outer bark flake off to expose a more creamy inner bark.
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- The leaf of a London plane is similar to that of a maple leaf – simple with alternate arrangements that have three to five lobes. These leathery leaves are about six to seven inches wide with roughly toothed edges.
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- Unfortunately, a few of the Cotinus died and needed replacing. This one may have suffered from some of the ponding we’ve had from the heavy rains.
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- Once the replacement smoke bushes arrived, Brian took on the task to plant them. As with any tree, the hole must be at least twice the size of the plant’s root ball.
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- Brian then adds a good sprinkling of slow-release all-purpose fertilizer. This formula includes a good balance of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.
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- Before planting, Brian scarifies the roots of every specimen. Scarifying stimulates root growth. Essentially, he teases small portions of the root ball to loosen the roots a bit and create some beneficial injuries. This helps the plant become established more quickly in its new environment. This is a healthy root ball which is root bound at all, so it does not need too much scarifying.
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- Brian places the smoke bush into the hole with its best side facing the carriage road.
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- Some specimens still have their stunning “smoke” like plumes.
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- Next, Brian places it into the hole and backfills, tamping down gently to ensure good contact between the plant and the surrounding soil.
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- This smoke bush will catch up to the others during the next year. Under optimal conditions, smoke bushes can add about 13 to 24 inches to its height annually.
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- I love this allée – the bold contrasting colors and the stunning growth habits of the London plane trees and smoke bushes. I’ll be sure to share more photos as these trees continue to grow and flourish.
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