Botanic Garden >> Gardening > >> Question and Answer >> About Gardening

Pruning Purple Smoke Tree (Cotinus coggygria) for Foliage or Flowers

Conflicting Advice on Pruning Timing

Sources contradict: some say prune late winter for foliage, others say prune after bloom for flowers. Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' may flower on current-year wood; C. obovatus may need longer hardening.

Safe Approach

Prune after bloom in early summer—you can't go wrong.

See: Smoke Tree, Plant Spotlight, WeedPatch.com

About Gardening: Azalea Pruning: Timing and Technique for Maximum Blooms; Pruning Pyracantha Without the Bloodshed: Battery-Powered Hedge Trimmers; Spirea Pruning Depends on Bloom Time; Clematis Pruning: Timing Depends on Bloom Type; Fig Pruning Strategy for Consistent Annual Crops; Pruning 'Homestead Purple' Verbena: Cut Hard in March for Summer Blooms; Pruning Leggy Gardenias: A Three-Year Plan for Stronger, Blooming Shrubs; Pruning Blue Junipers: Mid-Late April, Leave Green Foliage; Pruning Storm-Damaged Rabbiteye Blueberries: Timing and Technique; Pruning Overgrown Hollies: Timing and Technique for a Fuller Shape

Garden Articles

Pruning a Snowball Bush (Viburnum) for Better Blooms

When and How to Prune Schefflera for Best Results

Pruning Azaleas and Hydrangeas: Timing Matters for Flowers

Pruning Leyland Cypress: Avoiding Brown Gaps

Pruning Weeping Atlas Cedar: Tips for Natural Look

Forsythia Pruning: Now Is Ideal

Limelight Hydrangea Pruning: Optional, Blooms on New Wood

Plants

Training a Chaste Tree (Vitex) into a Multi-Trunk Form

Pruning 'Angel's Blush' Hydrangea: Timing and Tips

Pruning Encore Azaleas Without Losing Blooms

Lenten Rose Pruning: Remove Tattered Leaves in Mid-March

Crapemyrtle Pruning: Skip the "Knobbing," Try Pencil Pruning

Pruning a 30-Year-Old Thanksgiving Cactus in Stages

Pruning Wax Myrtle in November: Consult the Pruning Calendar