The Smoke Bush (Cotinus coggygria) is a striking ornamental shrub known for its unique foliage and ethereal, smoke-like plumes that emerge in summer. Incorporating companion plants can significantly enhance its aesthetic appeal and create a cohesive garden environment.
Understanding Smoke Bush’s Needs
The Smoke Bush thrives in full sun exposure for optimal growth and vibrant foliage coloration. A location receiving at least six hours of direct sunlight daily helps deepen foliage hues and promotes abundant flowering. It adapts to various well-drained soil types, including clay, sand, or loam. Avoid waterlogged conditions to prevent root issues. It generally prefers a soil pH that is slightly acidic to neutral.
Once established, it is notably drought-tolerant, making it a suitable choice for water-wise landscapes. During its first year, regular watering is important to help it develop a strong root system. Mature plants can reach a height and spread of 10 to 15 feet, often forming a multi-stemmed shrub or, with pruning, a small tree. Its open, often rounded form allows for underplanting and layering with various companion species.
Key Considerations for Companion Planting
When selecting companion plants, consider both aesthetic harmony and shared environmental needs. Complementary colors and textures can make the Smoke Bush stand out or blend into a design. Plants with silver, blue, or chartreuse foliage offer a striking contrast to its deep purples or burgundy, while fine-textured grasses can soften its bolder leaf forms. Pairing it with deep green or bronze leaves can create a more subtle, monochromatic scheme.
Varying heights and forms add visual depth and interest. Incorporating low-growing groundcovers, mid-height perennials, and smaller shrubs creates a layered effect. Select plants that thrive in similar light, soil, and water conditions as the Smoke Bush to ensure long-term success. Choose plants that offer interest at different times of the year, such as spring blooms, vibrant summer foliage, fall color, or winter structure, ensuring continuous appeal.
Recommended Companion Plants
Perennials provide seasonal interest and diverse textures.
Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grasses provide strong vertical lines and movement. ‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’) offers strong vertical lines. ‘Hameln’ Dwarf Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’) has a mounding habit with soft, feathery plumes.
Other Perennials
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ (Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Autumn Joy’) has succulent foliage and late-season pink blooms that deepen to bronze.
Salvia species offer spires of blue or purple flowers, tolerating dry conditions once established.
Echinacea (coneflower) provides daisy-like blooms, attracting pollinators, thriving in full sun and well-drained soil.
Nepeta (catmint) forms soft mounds of gray-green foliage and produces spikes of lavender-blue flowers, offering a long blooming period.
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is an excellent choice, with fragrant, silvery foliage and purple flowers, preferring full sun and well-drained conditions.
Smaller Shrubs
Smaller shrubs add structure and year-round interest.
Dwarf conifers, like ‘Blue Star’ Juniper (Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’) with its silvery-blue needles, or ‘Golden Mop’ Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Golden Mop’) with bright yellow foliage, offer contrasting colors and textures.
Spireas, such as ‘Gold Mound’ or ‘Magic Carpet’, provide vibrant foliage and clusters of small flowers, often with a compact growth habit.
Compact hydrangea varieties, such as Hydrangea paniculata ‘Little Lime’, add sun-tolerant summer blooms.
Berberis cultivars offer colorful foliage and spiky textural contrast.
Annuals
Annuals provide seasonal color and texture. Coleus varieties, with foliage colors from lime green to deep burgundy, echo or contrast the Smoke Bush. Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea batatas) offers trailing forms and colorful foliage for beds or containers. Flowering annuals like Marigolds or Zinnias add vibrant summer color, but consider their water needs alongside the drought-tolerant Smoke Bush.
Spring-Flowering Bulbs
Spring-flowering bulbs, such as Daffodils (Narcissus) or Tulips (Tulipa), add early season interest at the Smoke Bush’s base. They provide a burst of color before the Smoke Bush fully leafs out or its smoky plumes develop, extending visual appeal. Their foliage naturally dies back as the Smoke Bush grows, minimizing interference.
Designing Your Smoke Bush Garden
When arranging companion plants around a Smoke Bush, consider its role as a focal point or background element. Proper spacing allows plants to reach mature size without overcrowding, ensuring good air circulation. Layering plants (lower in front, taller in back) enhances visual depth. Repeating plants or colors creates cohesion and rhythm.
Ongoing Care for Your Plant Grouping
Initial watering helps newly planted companions establish root systems. Once established, adapt the watering regimen to the Smoke Bush’s drought tolerance, ensuring all plants have similar water needs. Organic mulch around the base retains soil moisture, regulates temperature, and suppresses weeds. Pruning maintains desired shape, removes dead or diseased branches, and promotes overall plant health for both Smoke Bush and companions. Smoke Bush has minimal fertilizing needs; choose companions thriving in lean to moderately fertile soil to simplify care.