Having lived in Germany for over ten years there are several trees and shrubs I was exposed to that really stood out. Some, like oak trees and maples and spruces grow well in the both Germany and the United States and I really enjoyed the old trees I found in the parks over there. But no other tree that grows in both Germany and the United States stood out as much as the smoke tree (Cotinus species). We lived in the state of Bavaria in a city called Heuchelhof; which was basically a suburb of Wurzburg. All of our business with the Army was mainly done in Wurzburg. Driving near the post one day I spotted a huge purple smoke tree that was in full bloom. Ever since that day I had hoped to have one as lovely in my own garden.
After ten years of growing a 'Royal Purple' cotinus I think I finally have my smoke tree! Mine is not a single stem like the one I saw growing in Wurzburg but it has just as much smoke and sure brings back memories for me. Can you see how the smoke tree gets its name? The blooms look like little puffs of smoke on the tree.
My tree is growing under a couple of oak trees but does get some sun. Smoke trees would like lots of sun. Smoke trees are very drought tolerant and I know why. When I moved this tree to this spot from the front yard in 2003 I could not believe how tough it was to dig up all of the long roots on this shrub. At the time the shrub had been planted there maybe one year but the roots were a good six feet long. I had my doubts that the smoke tree would survive the move but survive it did....
in the garden....
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden
It might be kind of hard to see in this picture but I would like to talk about two shrubs. The first is the yellow one in the middle of the picture, and the second is to the right of the yellow one just left of the vine. Gray stems are showing on the second shrub and if you look closely you can see purple leaves on it as well. Both shrubs are Cotinus coggyria, aka Smoke Tree or Bush.
Having lived in Europe for a good many years I was able to enjoy beautiful specimens of smoke trees and have always loved them. Of course, my garden needed a smoke tree. I planted the purple smoke tree three years ago and it has bloomed only once. This spring was a setback to it after the freeze and I really thought it was a goner. I decided to dig it up from out front and plant it here. The roots were very very long and I was astonished. It has recovered nicely and should start doing better.
Now the first shrub, the yellow one, is a new addition and really the subject of this entry. I was browsing in Lowes when I came upon it in a pot marked "Designer Shrubs". The cultivar is 'Golden Spirit' because of the lovely golden color. Designer shrubs, in my opinion, have been developed to cater to very specific gardening desires. In this case a trend for the past four or five years has been to get new colors into gardens, namely purples, yellows, reds, chartreuse and variegated plants that are different from the normal green and which make a statement. I love the different and gravitate toward the yellows. Yellows seem to make my shady garden come to life. I also like contrasts. Thus the yellow 'Golden Spirit' is paired with its cousin, the purple smoke tree. I can't wait until they both fill in and begin blooming. Smoke trees are called smoke trees because the bloom looks like a puff of smoke. It is quite the picture and if you have never seen one in bloom you should!
The next time you are out shopping look for some "Designer Shrubs" of your own to light up your landscape. There are colors to suit just about everyone's taste in plants so give one a try.
in the garden....