Old Fashioned Smoketree

The Old Fashioned Smoketree is a new take on a classic garden shrub that has filled gardens with color for a very long time. It is an ever-changing parade of foliage color, with its smooth round leaves beginning in spring deep red, tinted with purple-gray. In summer they turn a unique blue-green, and then in fall they are among the brightest shrubs in the garden, with a symphony of oranges, red and purples. The ‘smoke’ arrives in June, when a cloud of dusky-pink flower clusters float over the whole plant – a totally unique look. Grow it as a background shrub, a lawn specimen or an informal screen, it is always lovely and very easy to grow.

• A classic larger garden shrub for foliage color
• Spring leaves are gray tinted purple-red
• Summer leaves are blue-green
• Fall is a riot of orange, red and purple
• A cloud of smoky pink flowers cover it in June

Plant the Old Fashioned Smoketree in full sun for the best colors and blooms. It is hardy to zone 5, and it survives in zone 4 with perhaps a little winter injury. It thrives in poor and dry soils, once established, and resists drought and neglect with ease. For the best blooming forget about pruning – although you can trim in late winter if you want to keep it a little smaller. Pests and diseases are virtually unknown.