Something New, the Old Fashioned Smokebush

Add a little tradition to your garden with Old Fashioned Smokebush.

You’ll enjoy the smaller size and seasonal color displays of this variety. The new growth emerges in shades of dark pink and purple. The leaves eventually turn blue green creating a nice backdrop for flowers and smaller shrubs. In fall the leaves are a combination of pink, orange and red.

The bright yellow-green spring flowers pass quickly, but leave behind fluffy pinkish flower stems that give it a smoky appearance; thus its common name.

Old Fashioned smokebush grows 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide and is hardy in zones 5 to 10. Plant it in full sun to partial shade. Once established, it’s drought tolerant.

The flowers are great for cutting and the deer tend to pass by this plant to eat other tastier specimens. Use it as a focal point or train it into a small tree.

A bit more information: Royal Purple smokebush is much larger reaching 10 to 15 feet in height and width. Its leaves are reddish-purple and turn scarlet in fall. Velvet Cloak is equally big. Its deep purple foliage turns orange in fall