Smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria)

shrub called Cotinus coggygria with very curious leaves

Today you will meet a new species of plant that despite its common name, is not what many imagine. Similarly, tand we offer all the information you need in order to give it the care it requires once you have the plant.

La Cotinus coggygria is a type of deciduous shrub, whose size can vary according to the type of cotinus that is possessed. You can perfectly have a plant like this with the size of a bush or have another whose size exceeds that of an average person.

General data of the Cotinus coggygria

shrub that stands out from the rest thanks to its leaves

It is known by the common name of wigs tree or smoke bush. Its characteristics make it a perfect species to have in any garden, thanks to the fact that it is not large, without forgetting that its appearance and color give our homes a lot of life.

The good news is that you have the possibility of acquiring a bush with different colors. That is, you can have a shrub with a waxy green, or have a plant whose "feathers" are purple-pink or purple completely. This species characterized by having a vertical habit. That is, its growth is carried out vertically and develops multiple stems throughout its life.

Features

This plant has leaves whose color has a waxy green hue. Of course, it is not always this way, since those species found in different growing areas, They have purple leaves and their size varies between 0.5 cm to 2 cm long

As for its shape, we can say that it has an oval shape. The funny thing is that its leaves do not always have the same color at different times of the year. These tend to change to a yellow, orange or reddish purple hue when fall sets in. The color of the leaves, as well as their change will depend on the variation.

In case you are wondering why the plant is called smoke bushIt is because of the appearance of a certain part of the plant and where its flowers are attached. On the other hand, you should know that the smoke bush it is a dioecious plant. This means that the flowers share staminate and pistillate characteristics, that is, they have male and female flowers.

The normal thing is that this plant is used in gardens and landscapes as an ornamental plant. The reason is more than obvious, since it is thanks to its appearance, its size, its color of its leaves and others. The good thing is that you can plant it directly in the ground or have it in a pot. 

Farming

The main thing you should know is the place where you have to plant or have the smoke bushThis is how you should place it under direct sun. In this way, you will not have to worry about its location, including, you will not have to worry about the type of soil you need, since its adaptability is quite good to almost any type of pH in the soil.

Now, if you are in a type 5 zone, in this case you should plant the smoke bush in such a way that it is protected from winter, especially the wind that takes place in that season. 

In case you want to have several of this plant as a plant wall, you will have to place them with a separation of 2 to 3 meters from each other. In general, the smoke bush has to be watered thoroughly, as long as it is in its young stage. It is worth mentioning that the amount of irrigation has to be regular, although you should also know that in itself, the plant tolerates droughts quite well.

curious rounded leaves with reddish branches

A very important piece of information when it comes to giving it a good place for it to grow is grab a few logs or wood and place them at the base of the plant, so that this can keep weeds away and encourage their growth. 

In addition, this is a natural and simple way to give the bush a suitable humidity level. As for pruning, it does not have to be month to month or every so often, so you should only do it when the wood of the plant is dead or for some reason, it is damaged. 

After all, it should not be pruned or else you would be taking away its natural shape. Now, there are some specific requirements that you should know if you have mentalized having this species in your garden. 

These requirements are:

Luz

While is true that We have mentioned that you should place it in direct sunlight, also can grow in semi-shady places, but know that its foliage under these conditions will be poorer. 

Land

Its great versatility to adapt to different types of soils and regardless of the pH level it has has already been mentioned. Of course this is not indicative of being careless, since you have to provide the plant with a soil or substrate that is not damp or soaked with water.

Water

That you know that the Cotinus coggygria has very good tolerance to hot conditions, especially during dry seasons, only that this condition is fulfilled once the plant has managed to establish itself properly in the soil or pot as the case may be. 

Temperature and humidity

The truth is that the plant tends to have better growth when found in environments with moderate temperatures and the humidity level is somewhat dry.  If by chance the area in which you are is too high quality and has a high level of humidity, you know that the bush will start to develop fungal problems.

On the other hand, the cold environment also tends to damage it in equal measure. The good thing in this case is that you can have it indoors and / or shelters and it will grow. Not in the way you expect but at least it won't die.

Fertilizer

This is an aspect that you should not worry about, since the species does not require any type of fertilizer to be able to grow and live. But this doesn't mean you can't do it. If you have the opportunity to fertilize the plant, try to do it during the spring and provide a thin layer of compost. It will only be enough to provide compost once a year since its growth process is not too fast.

Propagation

Cotinus coggygria planted in a garden

Once you have the plant has grown, you can start with its propagation and / or multiplication if you wish. To do this, you must do it using cuttings or seeds, depending on the conditions of the moment.

By propagation by cuttings, you will have to locate a leafy stem and then remove all its lower leaves. Then you will have to put it in a pot with substrate and wait for it to grow in a couple of weeks.

Regarding the method of propagation by seeds, you should soak the seeds for 24 hours, and then dry it and plant it two centimeters away from each other. Preferably it is recommended that it be on a sandy type soil.


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