Royal Purple Smokebush

Royal Purple Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple')

Royal Purple Smokebush is a bold, easy-to-place shrub or small tree that brings deep purple foliage and a dramatic summer haze effect to sunny landscapes. Its rich leaf color adds contrast from spring through fall, helping mixed beds look more layered and intentional. Airy, smoke-like plumes appear after flowering and can linger through summer for long-lasting texture. With sun and well-drained soil, it establishes quickly and handles heat and short dry spells well once established.

Distinctive Features

This deciduous smokebush is prized for rounded leaves that emerge maroon to purple and deepen into a wine-purple tone through the season. Small spring flowers are followed by showy, feathery panicles that create the signature smoke effect in pink to purplish tones through summer. As temperatures cool, foliage often shifts toward red and orange notes for a strong autumn finish. The plant naturally develops an upright to rounded habit and can be maintained as a large shrub or trained into a small multi-stem tree form.

Growing Conditions

• Sun: Full sun for best foliage color and flowering, with light shade tolerated but often less vibrant.
• Soil: Average, well-drained soil is ideal, and it tolerates sandy, rocky, and many loamy sites as long as drainage is good.
• Water: Water regularly to establish, then provide low to moderate water, allowing soil to dry slightly between waterings.
• USDA Zones: Hardy in USDA Zones 4 to 8.
• Mature Size: Typically grows 10 to 15 feet tall and 10 to 12 feet wide.
• Bloom Season: Flowers in late spring, with smoke-like plumes developing in summer.

Ideal Uses

• Focal Point: Use as a focal point where the purple foliage and summer smoke plumes can anchor a sunny bed or define a garden space.
• Specimen Planting: Feature as a single plant to create bold contrast against evergreens or lighter foliage shrubs.
• Mixed Borders: Pair with chartreuse, silver, or flowering companions to sharpen color contrast and add depth.
• Screening: Plant in informal groupings to create a loose, textural screen with strong seasonal change.
• Small Tree Form: Limb up selected stems to create an airy, multi-stem accent with year-round structure.

Low Maintenance Care

• Pruning: Prune in late winter to early spring to shape and remove dead wood, noting that hard pruning can reduce flowering and plumes.
• Watering: Provide consistent moisture the first season, then water during extended drought as needed.
• Fertilizing: Keep feeding light, because overly rich soil can push soft growth and reduce overall structure.
• Mulching: Mulch to moderate soil moisture and temperature, keeping mulch pulled back from stems.
• Drainage: Improve heavy soils and avoid wet sites to reduce stress and keep roots healthy.

Why Choose Royal Purple Smokebush?

• Deep Foliage Color: Purple to wine-purple leaves deliver season-long contrast in sunny landscapes.
• Signature Summer Texture: Smoke-like plumes add an airy, dramatic finish that holds through summer.
• Strong Fall Finish: Foliage often shifts toward red and orange tones as the season cools.
• Adaptable Growth: Performs as a large shrub or can be trained into a small multi-stem tree.
• Low Input Performance: Tolerates heat and short dry spells once established when drainage is good.

Royal Purple Smokebush is an effective choice for adding bold color and soft summer texture without complicated care. Give it sun, space, and good drainage, then let its natural form carry the design. Paired with lighter companions or a dark evergreen backdrop, it delivers strong contrast and multi-season value year after year.