Problem with smoke bush

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queenbeez Brooklyn Park, MN(Zone 4a) Jun 16, 2013

Am I supposed to cut down my smoke bush every year?I have a purple smoke and an emerald and they both look the same.

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Post #9561274
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Terry Murfreesboro, TN(Zone 7a) Jun 16, 2013

I'm guessing that Minnesota is probably about as cold a zone as you can grow Cotinus - I think the purple leaf variety is hardy only to 4 or 5, depending on who you talk to. Some sites recommend a hard prune of Cotinus in late winter/earl spring. Since yours has come out of dormancy with some winter-kill, I'd definitely prune back those limbs.

Post #9561289
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DonnaMack Elgin, IL(Zone 5a) Jun 16, 2013

My smokebush was damaged, and I hard pruned it, and it was completely rejuvenated. I had several of them, and I tended to leave them unpruned to get the "smoke", but a hard pruning will definitely result in a plant with greatly improved structure. You can hack them almost to the ground and they spring back.

But "supposed to". No. I'm in zone 5a, and some of my 5 smokebushes were never pruned.

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