smoke trees

[mommab]

Has anyone planted a smoke tree and what experience have you had??

[SAS567]

>
>Has anyone planted a smoke tree and what experience have you had??

I've had one for 3yrs. It's very full but only 2 feet tall due to the deer
eating it the first year.
Sue in Mi. (zone 5)

[David J Bockman]

Our native Smoketree, Cotinus obovatus, is largely carefree and provides
stupendous fall colors. Will grow in a variety of soils but will take
limestone or alkaline soils very well. Full sun for best growth and color.

Dave

"mommab" > wrote in message
s.com...
> Has anyone planted a smoke tree and what experience have you had??
> --
> mommab
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> posted via www.GardenBanter.co.uk
>

[mommab]

thanks for the info. do they normally start as a short bush and then get tall shoots? do they need to be trained like the crepe myrtle?

[fran]

I have 7 of them forming a green fence on the east side of my lot. I
live on the top of a limestone hill in western North Carolina with
heavy clay soil, and they thrive here. I keep them trimmed and
thinned because they like to throw very long shoots up that can reach
6 ft in a year. I lop back the shoots to approx 3 ft in the winter
and trim any branches that are not growing where I want them. They
take this kind of care very well and have rewarded my with a lovely
thick hedge.

They have a habit of turning into a very untidy large shrub if not
kept in bounds, but I have seen people work on them and turn them into
very nice medium-small (~25 ft) trees.

If you want the get the 'smoke', you have to keep some branches
untrimmed as they bloom on last year's branch tips.


On Thu, 31 Jul 2003 20:00:59 GMT, mommab
> wrote:

>Has anyone planted a smoke tree and what experience have you had??