Plant, Tree & Shrub Library

Other Names:  Smoketree

Description:

An excellent large garden shrub valued for its brilliant orange and red fall foliage, large flowers and pink inflorescences which produce a fuzzy, smoky appearance throughout summer, hence the name; a very large shrub, use accordingly

Ornamental Features

Grace Smokebush features airy panicles of yellow flowers with coral-pink stalks at the ends of the branches from early to late summer. It has bluish-green deciduous foliage which emerges brick red in spring. The round leaves turn an outstanding red in the fall.

Landscape Attributes

Grace Smokebush is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Grace Smokebush is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Grace Smokebush will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under average home landscape conditions. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.