Is Smokebush deer resistant?
Cotinus coggygria
Plant typeShrubHardinessZones 4–8LightFull sun
Mature height120–180 in
BloomSpring and SummerMaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
About Smokebush
The smoke is not flowers but the hairy stalks left behind after they fade. You have to choose: cut it hard each spring for the best purple foliage and get no smoke, or leave it alone for smoke and accept smaller leaves. It needs poor dry soil, and rich ground gives soft growth that flops.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Low
- Spacing
- 94 to 142 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Smokebush
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Antelope BitterbrushPurshia tridentataSeldom damaged
- Anthony Waterer SpireaSpiraea x bumaldaZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Apache PlumeFallugia paradoxaZones 6–10Seldom damaged
- Armstrong JuniperJuniperus chinensis 'Armstrongii'Zones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn OliveElaeagnus umbellataZones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn SageSalvia greggiiZones 6–9Seldom damaged
Where Smokebush grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
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Every list Smokebush belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Smokebush
- Is Smokebush deer resistant?
- Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Smokebush grow in?
- Smokebush is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Smokebush grow in shade?
- No. Smokebush wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Smokebush get?
- Mature height is roughly 120–180 in. Growth rate is moderate.