Smokebush, usually the purple leaf varieties, are often cut back yearly, just as you do with Buddleias and Callicarpa dichotoma. I have 'Golden Spirit', the only gold leaf one I know of, and it's a fairly narrow plant abut 8 feet tall. I've never had any die back on it, so it's certainly hardier than the purple leaf ones, which regularly experience die back here. It's very handsome, and I have Clematis rooguchi growing into it. Great combo.

Thanks, laceyvail - that's great information! And I like your idea of mixing it w/clematis.

Can I hijack with a question? Is it too late in the season (zone 5, MA) to cut back?

IME you could cut it at any time of the year.
Just did it today and brought home bouquet of purple leaves with somewhat yellowish smokes on top of them.
Looks good in a vase.

Yes, it's too late to cut it back this year. Cutting a few blooms is one thing, but cutting one back to a stub is another thing entirely. Cut back in early spring.

My fault, indeed shaping/pruning is OK, but cutting back to the stub is NOT. Sorry for misleading answer.

Please clarify: When pruning smokebush back in early spring, is it actually cut off at ground level, or just NEAR ground level. Is it cut back to 1" or 2", for example?

Maro

My experience has been cutting it down each stem/branch down to about an inch.

Coppicing or stooling, as this practice is called, generally involves cutting back to a predetermined height, not to the ground. And is best begun while the plant in question is still quite young. Typically one has a permanent woody framework that is maintained and all thinner branches above this framework are removed at their point of origin (no stubs). The height of this framework is up to the gardener and the plant. Most often smoke bushes are maintained in the 1-3' height by coppicing and will attain an additional 6+ feet during the growing season when well established.

Thanks. So often I read "cut to the ground" and that sounds pretty drastic.

This is its first year after planting last fall. Next spring, I should select a permanent framework that is about 1' to 3' tall at the time, and prune to that. Is this correct?

Sorry if I'm being dense!

Maro

Maro, that's correct.
However, if it will be a first full growing season, I'd let it be for another year (probably will be pretty large by then in z8 with no diebacks) and did a surgery after two full years in a ground.
Just IMO.

Thanks for clarifying!

Maro

Mine had been in the ground for about 7 years, and I cut it down to the ground, really down. It took at least a couple of months to show any new growth (I feared I'd lost it) and since then has put out 'buggy whip' branches. REally not very attractive after 2 years. This year I pruned back tips to encourage some leaf growth on the lower parts of the branches.

Just a cautionary tale.

If any one has any advice or solace, it would be gratefully accepted.

HELP!!! My husband "butchered" my beautiful 20 year old smoke bush last weekend (October 29). All I have left are about 5 thick branches about 3 feet high! What will happen next spring? Will it ever grow again? Should I cut it all the way down to the ground at this point or leave it alone? It was so beautiful this past summer! I'm sick about this!

Babs, It is going to wake up in the Spring and be even more beautiful than before. You'll see. But remember that it is one of the last to leaf out in the Spring. So don't give up on it too soon.

I am in zone 5b also and mine has just started to leaf out a few days ago. Mine is established also. If they were just planted last fall they are probably a little goofy still from the green house and might take awhile to leaf out. I wouldn't start to worry yet. If you see no action in another week or so you can make a small scratch on the main trunk to see if they are still alive.

I just purchased a smoke bush and planted it between a dogwood and a rhododendron. The branches are all growing very vertically. The greenhouse staff assured me that it would continue to grow vertical and tall, because of how the branches are growing upward from the core. Does anyone know if this is true?

grasshopper_gardener,

Yes ... I've got a Royal Purple and it's inclination is to grow straight up.

I cut the branches down to about 3 foot each year for the first 3 years or so, and it's added enough branches to make a nice tree effect, but the major direction of growth is still upward.

Royal Purple doesn't do much in the way of smoke, either.

I got a Velvet Cloak Smokebush some years later, ... and it grows more laterally, and has the most amazing magenta-colored smoke.

thanks aegis500-
Mine is about two feet tall now. How high do you suspect it might grow this growing season? Do that much every year? Do I have to prune it? If I do prune it, will it branch out rather than grow tall?

Hi! Brand new to this forum, which I found by googling "smoke bush care".

I moved into my home last September, and couldn't figure out what the butt-ugly, possibly dead bush was in the side yard. It didn't do much this spring, and had almost made the decision to remove it, when it sprouted these lovely purple leaves, followed by tiny yellow flowers, and now a few smokey purplish ... things.

I remembered seeing a smoke tree at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and then googled and viola, I have a smoke bush. It is about 4' tall and 4' wide, but it does have some dead limbs and it is rather misshapen. I don't want to drastically cut it back as has been discussed upthread, but would like to prune it and shape it up a bit. I should do this in early spring, correct?

You could remove up to a third of your shrub anytime, just_jules- they are pretty forgiving plants. Start by removing all the dead branches, then take out any that are growing crossways, rubbing against others, or are just generally offensive to you. As long as you leave plenty of foliage to support the plant it will be ok.

It helps to spend a lot of time standing back and just staring at it- a chair in the shade and a cool drink can make this "study" very pleasurable. Think long and hard about any further shaping as once it's done it is done.
Try and get a plan in your mind on how you want the shrub to develop and by next spring you can do a more thorough rejuvenation pruning and have a really nice plant.

I have a smokebush that is in it's third spring. I didn't think it was going to make it the first year but it seemed to hang on and grow leaves the second spring. I haven't done anything to it since planting. It has 4 stalky looking stems with leaves on the top end and several small shoots coming out the bottom this year - Nothing in between. I would like it to be fuller in the middle. What should I do with it and when? Please help!

Grasshopper, I am in zone 5 also and mine is now 3 yrs old and was 9+' tall end of last season. They grow fast.

Maplestreetsmokebush, mine is also in its third spring and it had a similar issue. In March of this year, I pruned it down to where I wanted it to begin branching out. The new growth is filling out nicely and the leaves on the tips are a blood red. Mine has a main trunk so it is growing into a tree form and I cut any suckers that come out of the bottom so as to keep a tree form. I think if you do the same it will force the bush to put more energy above. If you don't mind a wider bush with suckers, you could prune the whole thing down closer to where the suckers are and it will grow into a fuller, wider bush.

I have a smoke bush that has been beautiful for years. This last year it was above the house top so I cut most of it down. Now it has new, beautiful growth around the bush but the middle of it looks dead. Don't know if it will fill in or not. I hate the cut the middle out but I don't know what can I do? Please help and thank you!
Kreatv

Oh I see no one answered your question Kreatv. Smokebush is slow to awaken in spring. If yours still looks dead in the middle, it probably is, so you can trim those dead branches out. It will regrow from the base making a thicker plant.

My first post here. I have a purple smoke bush in its third growing year. I would like to move it to my back yard and replace it with a golden smoke bush as the latter one will go much better with the neighboring plants. This season it has really taken off. The shoots are about 6 feet tall. It's now September. Can I trim these long branches back to about half that height? It's looking unkempt and I prefer a more compact shape. Also, if I'm going to transplant it to the back, can I do that in late fall? Should I trim it before or after I move it? It might be hard to move it leaving it as big as it is now. I realize flowering will be affected regardless. Please advise and thank you.

Sandydgardener,
You can move it now, but DONT cut it back til March.
You must really dig a big hole to move it to, and make sure you dig alot of dirt around the roots, don't skimp, when you move it.
If you have the cultivar "Grace", don't move it.
If it is Royal Purple smoke bush, or another cultivar, go right ahead and move it now.
Mulch it up real good, and water it through the winter if it is dry, the roots will grow back over the winter.
Then you should COPPICE it in the Spring.
The general rule of thumb for pruning shrubs DOES NOT apply to a few select shrubs, smoke bush being one of them.
You must prune all the way down to the FRAME of the bush, and it will regrow like a brand new one.
Don't think you will kill it, because you wont.
The frame is the main stem and any branches that come off of it.
Smoke bush does not "like" a slight pruning.
If you don't cut it down severely like this, it will grow back with "whippy" ugly branches and that is why some people won't even grow them, thinking it is the bush, which it isn't.(they pruned it wrong).
Wait til you see the beautiful new leaves that form on that bush after a severe pruning. Gorgeous!
Look up on the internet, Coppicing AND smokebush, and you will see what I mean.
Good luck, I hope your gold one is beautiful too.

We cut back 2 of the branches on this bush/tree and now it has sent a lot of shoots with no leaves. Every time we prune them back it sends up more. Is there a way to get this to stop? It doesn't look very attractive.

thanks,
jeanine

jeez jeanine.. a 5 year old post ...

why not do your own next time ... dont be shy ...

the ONLY way to get it to stop sending up shoots is to murder it ... kill it.. be done with it..

now for the zen part ... IF YOU DONT LIKE IT ... GET RID OF IT!!!

life is too short to mess around with plants that irritate you ...

ken

I know this is an old thread but maybe someone could help me. I purchased this home in 2012. It had an established, run down garden. I didn't do much the first year because I was more focused on house repairs and renovations. The next year I got to work. Anyway, there are two ancient smoke bush shrubs. One has redish purplish leaves. The other has coppery with a purple tint leaves. Both have multiple big trunks where new growth grows from the top of each. I have no idea what varieties these are but they do leaf out and put out smokes. Anyway, this year, after a horrible winter, one smoke bush is leafing out but the other looks quite dead. Just a few little leaves on the bottom of one trunk only (out of 6 trunks). I don't know what to do with it because it is in a prominent area of the garden. I just heard on the news that this is the lowest rainfall for May on record. Could this be the reason why it's not leafing out? I don't ever water the shrubs but they do receive residual watering when I water the lawn, so I've pretty much counted that out as a reason. Any ideas? I know it's a little late in the season but is pruning an option. I only did a light pruning when I got down to business 2 years ago. Thanks for any info.

Just whack it down, leaving the new growth. What do you have to lose, right? I cut mine down, last Sept. If it came back, it came back. It did nothing last year, I thought it was dead. However this year...it's full and lush and looks gorgeous! Mine is Cotinus 'Grace'. I don't know 5a in New York, however, 5a in northern IL isn't too late!

ken's gonna love this!

I wrote in 2007 about cutting back too hard and that it took months to recover. Now I have another and neither has suffered from cutting back. I think they suffer more from neglect when they get so tall or gangly the leaves can't be appreciated at eye level.

The trick is to cut them back early enough in spring so they are able to leaf out by early summer and you're not left with a bunch of naked twigs on an awkward framework.

I can attest you'd have to work really hard- and probably use poison- to kill one of these.

Marie

If all this person has is a bunch of dead, with new growth, why not cut the dead out and let the new come in? It's still plenty early in zone 5a....regardless of what Ken says ;)

Last week I cut back to where new growth was coming off the heavy limbs and I can already see new stems starting to grow out just below the cuts. Even after looking up the different varieties it is still a mystery to me what variety this one is because none of the descriptions I've read say anything about coppery colored leaves. Anyone have an idea?

lovetogarden, this site allows for photos. My suggestion would be to start your own thread with pictures. :)

As someone planning to add a smokebush to my gardens, I would like to know what the best place to site it to show off the smoke? I.e, with something behind it or nothing behind it, with sun hitting it at a particular angle or time of day, adjacent to anything in particular?? Thanks!

I have the Royal Purple Smoke tree and we had a storm last night that split it and half fell to the ground. I am going to try to save it...hopefully I can. Does anyone think I will be able to save it since I really don't have a choice in cutting it? It's July 22 here...thanks.

Take a pic or two and start a new post.

tj