You have the makings of Buggs Bunny holding a carrot or two.

tj

Wait until late next winter/early spring.

Do you know if this is normal? Do you think these abnormally long shoots will further branch out or what?

Trees know how to grow and how long it should take for the tree to do what it wants. This means years not month.

I would let it grow for a couple of years and let it decide how it wants to be.

I could not identify the tree by zooming the picture, but it does not look like there is room for a large tree that close to your drive and sidewalk.

First, it is a smokebush, (Cotinus coggygria), not a smoketree (Cotinus obovata) so technically a shrub, not a tree. Even the largest cultivar of smokebush (actually a hybrid between the two species) will rarely exceed 15-20' tall. And yes, this is a pretty normal growth habit for a smokebush - they DO produce very long, whippy shoots and frequently after a pruning. And they do not tend to 'branch out' either. As a result, this plant is seldom used as a single, standalone specimen but most often included in a mixed border where the awkward growth habit is less noticeable.

You can live with it until the shrub continues to produce growth that will help it to fill in or you can coppice it annually in early spring to control size and shape removing the potential of the 'smoke'/flowers. But that will not stop the long shoot production, sorry.

I also agree that the siting for this does not look to be ideal. It will easily outgrow that space in time and begin to encroach on the drive.

i suspect it will be covering the driveway to at lest the mid point .... in the years to come ... unless severely pruned..and if you prune it that way... you may never see smoke ...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Cotinus+coggygria+tree+form&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

it should probably be moved before it gets much bigger ...

plz include big city location in every post ;.. if you want help with moving it .... let us know .. august is not the proper time to do so ...see section one.. then read the rest:

https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

in the future.. take the latin name of a plant ... and do a search like above ... and then determine where it can be planted .. for the least amount of maintenance by you... e.g. if something can get 10 feet wide [and most shrubs do] ... dont plant it 2 feet from the house foundation.. and then come asking what need be done about it ...

ken

It is 4 feet from the driveway. The plant grows to 10-12 feet in width so at most it will be 2 feet over driveway, which when I planted it I didn’t think would bother me too much. I see people all of over my neighborhood with small trees planted on the corner where driveway meets walk, can you please explain why this is not ideal? I see plenty of pictures of Royal Purple smoke trees used as specimen plants in similar sitings.

I think you are underestimating the spread. It will get wider than tall and 20' or more is not unheard of. And young smokebushes often have a very awkward, ungainly growth habit. They need time to grow into themselves :-) Heading back those long shoots now will only encourage more.

Ah okay maybe need to move it in November. Any suggestions on small trees or upright shrubs that would look in this site? Zone 8a, full sun, needs to be heat and drought tolerant.

Thanks everyone for your guidance!

I'd be inclined to lean towards an evergreen something in a spot that visible to passersby all year long. A dwarf conifer would work. Your geographical location will dictate which type of conifer would work best but I'd look at Chamaecyparis or pines to start.

A Japanese maple is another possibility but not a very drought tolerant choice (neither is the smokebush for that matter :-))

Thanks how about a Hinoki Cypress?

If that does well in your conditions, it could be perfect! Probably my favorite conifer. I've grown dozens of Hinokis over the years and use them often in my designs. Won't be very drought tolerant until fully established, though.