• Deciduous shrub or small tree
• Feathery flower plumes in summer
• Large oval purple-brown leaves
• Glowing red autumn foliage
• Sun or part shade

Cotinus 'Grace' is a vigorous deciduous shrub or small tree, with strong upright stems bearing large oval purple-brown leaves. Its feathery plumes of tiny pink flowers in late summer give it the common name of smoke bush. In autumn, the leaves turn glowing red, making this a spectacular sight when viewed with the sun shining through the leaves.

For best leaf colour plant Cotinus ‘Grace’ in a sunny position, though it will tolerate a partly shaded site. It likes to grown in moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil. Cotinus 'Grace' can reach a height of 3 metres with a spread of up to 1.8 metres. Once the shrub is well-established in your garden, you can hard prune it each spring to between 60 to 90 cm from the ground. This will encourage both strong upright stems and larger leaves.

How you will receive your plants:

Selected by our team of experts and sent from our nursery, you will receive your plant in a 9cm pot, ready to plant out.

Can’t plant straight away?

Place in a sheltered spot and water regularly to keep the compost moist.

Dig a hole approximately twice as deep and 3 times as wide as the plant’s rootball. If your soil is heavy mix in a soil improver before backfilling. Firm the soil around the plant and water thoroughly.

Water shrubs regularly in the first year after planting and in dry periods

When to plant and what to expect at different times of the year

You can plant hardy shrubs, trees and perennials at any time of the year avoiding the two extremes of heat and cold. During the summer months when it is hot and dry the need for watering becomes crucial to aid successful establishment and in the winter when the soil is frozen the plants will not be in active growth either above or below ground and risk getting cold damage. The same is true on the stage or growth you can expect your plants to be delivered in and this will be directly related to the time of year and the season.

When ordering through the year, here’s a summary of what to expect when receiving your plants:

Spring Months: Plants supplied in spring will be starting to show signs of active growth above and below ground.

Summer Months: Plants supplied in the late summer will be more advanced in size and flower stage

Autumn Months: In the autumn plants will be changing colour, showing signs of leaf colour breakdown and be preparing to shut down for winter.

Winter Months: Plants ordered and supplied during the winter months will be dormant and therefore may not be showing growth above the soil level or consist of bare branches with no leaves or bare roots with no soil.

These are all perfectly normal and natural for these types of plants growing in the northern hemisphere. All will still have a very healthy root system that can be planted when the weather is favourable by keeping the new soil level equal to the pot level and therefore not covering the crown of the plant at all. Planting during the autumn and winter months will allow for early establishment in the season and a bigger and better display throughout the main growing season. For more information on our plant sizes click here.