planted this Cotinus 'Golden Spirit' in May

==>>> transplant shock.. and probably not enough time to settle before the heat of the summer ....

insert finger.. or dig a small hole.. and find out if the soil is sodden or dry .... water accordingly ... with 2 inches of mulch.. it might be hard to tell whats going on underneath ....in the root zone ...

those leaves are not going to recover ... but they are still working.. so try to ignore them ...

first pic.. note that what appears to be new growth ... looks ok ... mid upper right ....

in tree/shrub time.. its not surprising that the damage was delayed.. but i dont think that is a reason to go searching for exotic reasons for the damage ....

also.. dont rule out.. the fact that it might have been moved.. from grower to you .. from a somewhat protected location.. to full sun.. without hardening off ... e.g. greenhouse/shade cloth protected ... one might call it transport shock ....

also keep in mind.. yellow plants are ... in general.. a bit more touchy than green plants .... especially with all the stress issue ....

finally ... next year.. when the leaves emerge ... they will be accustomed to this location ... and probably not be burnt ... all other issues proper ....

ken

I have had issues with this plant for years. I have two of them; both have been moved more than once. The problem that I have is that if I plant them in full sun, I get exactly what you have (no matter how long the plant has been in the ground). If I plant them in shade, they turn green. Finding the exact right spot with the exact amount of hours of shade vs sun or dappled shade, is not easy. They are both looking decent finally; one gets only a few hours of morning sun, the other gets dappled shade for most of the day. Both are protected from hot afternoon sun. You have much moister air than I do, which I think is probably a plus, but I bought both of mine in 2006 and it's only in the last few. years (and third or fourth try for the correct location) that they have looked good.

This plant's actual botanical name is 'Ancot'. Golden Spirit is the name that it is marketed under, just so you know if you see reference to 'Ancot', it is the same plant.

I think that your problem is sunburn. I feel your pain.

Thanks...my research indicated that it can (and should) take "full sun" up here in Zone 5, so I planted it accordingly. I'm hesitant to move it again to a shadier area, so I think I'll just leave it alone.

I checked the soil this morning and it' still plenty moist around the root zone, so I'm definitely going to avoid giving it any more water, especially with more rain predicted later this week.

I guess I'll just chalk it up to delayed transport shock. The Calycanthus I mentioned above looked similar last summer and this year it's much healthier and growing beautifully. Hopefully the Cotinus will do the same next spring.

I agree with sara :-) Even in my cool summer climate, it is hard to site this plant to avoid sunburn or leaf scorch. And the amount of irrigation doesn't seem to have any effect one way or the other. IME, they need to be sited like bigleaf hydrangeas - morning sun is fine but provide some sort of shade protection from the hot afternoon sun.

ETA: I would take comments regarding this shrub being "scorch resistant" or adaptable to full sun with a large grain of salt :-) I have not found that to be the case and the sun intensity and heat index of my very northerly location is much lower than elsewhere in the country......and the shrub will scorch in full sun!!

If I do want to move it to a shadier area, am I better off waiting until next year to minimize the transplant shock it has already experienced since being planted in May?

And if so, am I ok to transplant it while it's still mostly dormant but the ground is thawing (early spring)? Or should I wait until the foliage emerges?

Wait until dormancy. These things are as tough as nails, but it will be easier on the plant (and you!) if you transplant it when it is not in leaf. I'm not sure if that means fall or spring where you are - here I transplant in Nov/Dec but something tells me that is not the case in upstate NY!

I've had mine in full sun--no shade at all--for years with no sun burning. And it gets plenty hot here.

Agree with the previous comment. I think once established it will be fine in full sun.

Mine were in full sun for years and crisped every year exactly like the OP's photo. Where are the last two commenters located? I wonder if my bone dry summer air has something to do with it, but garden gal is in plant nirvana and says that it crisps there, too.

I found a description from the original breeder of 'Ancot' in the Netherlands, that reads:

"If the soil is kept moist, this variety can be planted in full sun without a danger of sunburn."

And then on another grower's site:

"Unlike other yellow-leaved varieties, 'Golden Spirit' will not suffer from sun-scorch except in drought conditions."