Smoke bushes, Cotinus, are among my favorite of small trees - they have superlative color, appealing form, and look excellent in the gardens.
I always try to incorporate unique and interesting plantings into all my gardens. I have many smoke bushes around my Bedford, New York farm - in the sunken garden behind my Summer House, around my pool, in the beds outside my Tenant House, where my daughter and grandchildren stay when they visit, and near the front entrance to the property, where family and friends can see their beauty right away.
All the smoke bushes are looking so gorgeous and lush - enjoy these photos.
Cotinus, also known as smoke bush and smoke tree, is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs. This one is a royal purple smoke bush with its 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.
If you visited my blog yesterday, you saw these growing young smoke bushes along the allee in my lower hayfield. Smoke bushes look great in the landscape and are a pretty choice for massing or for hedges.
Here is a wider view – this allee will look so stunning when the London Planes and smoke bushes are mature.
I also have Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ growing along the outside of my pool fence. These are mixed in with a collection of Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo.’ Physocarpus, commonly called ninebark, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to North America and northeastern Asia.
The leaves of the smoke bush are about one-and-a-half to three inches long and ovate, or oval like, in shape.
Here, these leaves have turned a beautiful purple-red color.
The name “smoke bush” derives from the billowy hairs attached to the flower clusters which remain in place through the summer, turning a smoky pink to purplish-pink as the weeks progress.
These smoke bushes are on one side of my Summer House garden terrace. Some varieties have more purple red shades while others come in lime green to gold.
This one in the back of the Summer House garden is showing off brilliant light colored plumes.
Smoke bushes should be planted in full sun, but they do well in almost any soil type and most any pH level. The ideal circumstance is slightly sandy loam, but they can thrive in rocky soils. The important thing is to plant them where the soil drains well. This smoke bush is planted in the garden outside my Tenant House. This garden is actually called the Stewartia garden, where I also have many Stewartia trees – not surprising, of course, since my name is “Stewart.”
In colder climates, where winter winds can damage the plants, it’s also a good idea to plant smoke bushes where they can be protected. When grouping plants, they should also be well spaced to give them enough room to grow.
When planting, always dig a hole twice the size of the root ball to give the roots plenty of space to expand. And keep the plant from drying out, especially during its first growing season. Remember, it must be properly established before it can begin exhibiting its drought-tolerant abilities.
Here is a grouping of smoke bushes growing outside my main greenhouse – they are so lush. The spectacular foliage emerges lime green and stands out so beautifully above the hostas.
Nearby are the smoky plumes of green and pink varieties.
The only mandatory pruning is to remove dead or damaged wood, but the shrubs will also tolerate hard pruning to shape them or rejuvenate them if needed.
These fine, feathery, flower plumes remain attractive for many weeks from now to fall.
This Cotinus has an upright habit when young and spreading wider with age. The flowers are deep-pink, feathery, and beaded.
Here is a closer look at one of its light, delicate plumes. I hope this inspires you to plant a smoke bush in your garden – it is easy to care for and provides so much natural beauty in return.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, I have many allées of trees - they look so beautiful and dramatic along the carriage roads, between the horse paddocks, and beside the antique fencing. One of my newer allées is planted along the lower hayfield road toward my woodlands - and it's developing excellently.
In landscaping, an allée, or an avenue, is traditionally a straight path or road with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each side. In most cases, the trees planted are the same species or cultivar, so as to give a uniform appearance along the full length of the allée. To create this particular allée through the field, we started with a selection of London plane trees in the fall of 2019. We also planted about 100 royal purple smoke bushes, Cotinus coggygria. And this year, we added crepe myrtle, Lagerstroemia - deciduous, small to medium sized shrubs known for their colorful and long-lasting summertime flowers.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
At first, this area through the hayfield was just an open and very plain space, where I grew hay for my horses. I thought it was a perfect stretch of landscape for a long allee. Designing any garden takes plenty of planning, time and patience. Here, the area chosen was mowed and measured. The twine indicates the edge of the planting bed.
The large field is bordered on one side by a grove of weeping willow trees, Salix – graceful, refined, and easily recognized by its open crown of ground-sweeping branches. Willows grow especially well near water, and reach 30 to 40 feet tall.
I wanted the allee to extend the entire portion of the road that cuts through the lower hayfield. This would require a large number of stately trees. My outdoor grounds crew removed the sod from the area. All my carriage roads are 12-feet wide. I wanted to be sure the new allee lined the edge of the road, but also had enough room for the trees to grow.
I chose to plant two rows of London plane trees – 46-trees in all. When selecting a location, always consider the tree’s growth pattern, space needs, and appearance. London planes are easy to transplant. They can also develop massive trunks with spreading crowns, so they need lots of space.
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. This very large tree with maple-like leaves grows to roughly 75 to 100 feet with a spread of 60 to 75 feet. London planes grow in almost any soil – acidic or alkaline, loamy, sandy or clay. They accept wet or dry soil and grow best in full sun, but they also thrive in partial shade.
In between the trees, I chose to plant Cotinus, also known as smoke bush or smoke tree – 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. There are two potted smoke bushes between each London plane. 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.
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.
Hard to see here, but the small smoke bush seedlings are all planted – this photo was taken in October 2019.
One year later in September of 2020, both the Cotinus and the London planes are established and growing beautifully.
But this year, the growth is very noticeable – colors of the specimens look amazing together.
To add more texture to this developing allee, I decided to plant hundreds of crepe myrtle along both sides. Lagerstroemia, commonly known as crape myrtle, is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia, and other parts of Oceania, cultivated in warmer climates around the world. Crepe myrtle has dark green leaves, with a red fringe upon opening. In the fall the leaves turn red, yellow, or orange. The leaf shape is oval and pinnate.
Brian and Phurba planted the crepe myrtle evenly between each of the trees along the allee. The crepe myrtle came to us in plugs. Plugs in horticulture are small-sized seedlings grown in seed trays filled with potting soil.
This is a dibber. A dibber or dibble or dibbler is a pointed wooden stick for making holes in the ground so that seeds, seedlings or small bulbs can be planted. Dibbers come in a variety of designs including the straight dibber, this T-handled dibber, trowel dibber, and L-shaped dibber.
Because the plugs are small, Brian uses a dibber instead of a trowel to make the holes.
The four to six inch deep holes are perfect for the crepe myrtle seedlings.
Brian plants the seedling, backfills with soil, and tamps down lightly for good contact. He places the plant at the same depth it was in its pot. Never bury a plant deeper than its crown, or where the roots and stems meet – buried crowns will suffocate the plants.
These crepe myrtles will grow nicely in this area and fill in the voids perfectly.
Here is one of the growing smoke bushes. Smoke bushes are among my favorite small trees. These can grow to a moderate size – up to 15-feet tall and 10-feet wide. I also love its upright, multi-stemmed habit. I grow many smoke bushes at the farm – I will share more photos of these gorgeous shrubs in my next blog.
The leaves of these smoke bushes are waxy purple and are one and a half to three inches long, and ovate in shape.
And some of them are showing off their stunning plumes right now. The flower plumes are purple-pink, tipped with creamy yellow at their peak.
Under optimal conditions, smoke bushes can add about 13 to 24 inches to its height each year. I am so pleased with how well they are growing here at the farm.
And here is a wide photo of the allee now – it will look more beautiful year after year. I am excited to see it continue to develop and flourish.
As many of you know, every now and then I enjoy opening my gardens for private walking tours at both my Bedford, New York farm and at my beloved home in Seal Harbor, Maine.
Over the last couple of weeks, I had a handful of early summer walks at Skylands. Unfortunately I was not able to join the tours, but my gardeners, Mike Harding and Wendy Norling, guided the small groups through the wooded paths, sunny terraces, and gardens. Cheryl DuLong keeps me updated by sending photographs from time to time. Here is a selection of images taken during the tours - the gardens are lush and green and the mountain laurel is blooming profusely.
Enjoy.
This is the circular driveway in front of the stately main entrance to Skylands. Recent weeks have been very warm and humid here in the northeast, including up in Maine, but all the plants and trees are flourishing.
Here is my large “cracked ice” terrace at Skylands. Every year during Memorial Day weekend, I go up to Skylands to plant all the ornamental urns that decorate this space – it’s my own unofficial kick-off to summer tradition. Many of the plants wintered at my Bedford, New York farm and were brought up to Skylands for the season.
Here is potted agave on the terrace ledge, Agaves are exotic, deer-resistant, drought-tolerant, and make wonderful container plants. It’s not easy dealing with giant, prickly agave plants. One must be very careful of one’s eyes, face, and skin whenever planting them.
Just below the ledge and lying beneath the West Terrace is the lady – La Riviere by Aristide Maillol. The original terms of the commission were intended to honor Henri Barbusse, noted author and pacifist. Maillol initially conceived the figure as a woman who had been stabbed in the back, falling at the viewer’s feet. However, when funds proved to be insufficient to complete the memorial, Maillol re-conceived the figure as a more timeless theme, the personification of a river. Here, she is surrounded by ferns, tree peonies, Japanese maples, blueberry bushes, and Lady’s Mantle.
This is one of the magnificent summer views from my terrace at Skylands – looking out over Seal Harbor with Sutton Island in the distance.
My West Terrace is where I often enjoy summer brunches under the kiwi vine covered pergola. The ferns, Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’, are among the most popular varieties with its frilly leaves and long, hanging fronds.
A brief rain shower kept one tour indoors for a short while. This is a view through the leaded windows looking out onto the terrace from the dining room.
And here is a similar view looking out after the rain had stopped.
Hostas are a perennial favorite among gardeners. Their lush green foliage varying in leaf shape, size and texture, and their easy care requirements make them ideal for many areas. This is one of the many hosta plants growing on the terrace. Hosta is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name, giboshi. They are native to northeast Asia and include hundreds of different cultivars.
These succulents are planted in a long stone trough I bought several years ago from Trade Secrets. Notice the pink gravel used to top the soil surrounding these plants – it is the same pink gravel that covers the carriage roads at Skylands.
This sphynx is already out “guarding” the terrace for the season. She is one of two glazed terra-cotta sphinxes designed by Emile Muller. Émile first used plain ceramic products on buildings and industries. Then, in 1884 he developed the glazed terra-cotta, which he continued to use for many architectural decorations and art reproductions. These ladies are stored indoors and taken out as soon as the warmer weather arrives.
The clematis is also blooming on the Skylands terrace. Clematis is a genus of about 300 species within the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. The name Clematis comes from the Greek word “klematis,” meaning vine. Clematis are native to China and Japan and known to be vigorous growers. I have a long and winding pergola supported by granite uprights that are filled with clematis at my Bedford, New York farm.
The tours bring guests up the steps from the guest house to my main house. The rocks on the outside of the stone steps toward the top are called “Rockefeller’s Teeth” – large blocks that serve as guardrails. These stone steps are cut roughly and spaced irregularly to create a rustic appearance.
Here, the group is standing in the council circle looking out through the woodland. Look at the gorgeous mountain laurel growing on the right.
And here’s a view that never gets tiring. Taken through the woods, this view looks out to Seal Harbor and the Cranberry Isles beyond.
Mountain laurel is a relatively slow-growing shrub, adding about one foot per year. It is a good flowering shrub for mass plantings in shady borders, woodland gardens, or for foundation plantings.
Mountain laurel is grown for its showy late spring and summer flowers and attractive, evergreen foliage. It’s sometimes called a calico bush because the pink or white flowers usually have dark pink or maroon markings. Plant mountain laurel shrubs from spring after all danger of frost has passed, to summer in soil that is cool, moist but well-drained, and acidic in pH. They prefer part shade but will tolerate full sun. Avoid windy areas, if possible, especially in the northern part of the hardiness range.
Here is pink mountain laurel in front of Skylands. Mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia, also known as spoonwood, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae. It is native to the eastern United States from southern Maine south to northern Florida, and west to Indiana and Louisiana. This shade-loving shrub produces clusters of rose, pink, or white flowers.
All my garden tours conclude with refreshments. They are served homemade cookies and cold drinks while they listen to a brief overview of the property and information on the work of landscape architect, Jens Jensen.
Here’s another view of the plantings in the circular driveway. This center garden is planted with hay-scented ferns, which turn yellow in fall, purple smoke bushes, and spruce trees, Picea orientalis ‘Skylands’. When I found these trees, I got many to plant here in Maine.
Cheryl captured this view as the storm clouds rolled in. I love Skylands – it is so magical any time of year.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
