Smoke bush
Decide early whether you want the flowers or the bigger, brighter leaves in any given year — the two pruning approaches can't both be followed at once.
Care
Needed for the best purple leaf colour on dark-leaved cultivars.
Drought-tolerant once established.
Adaptable, well-drained soil; tolerates poor ground.
Either leave unpruned to enjoy the smoky summer flower plumes, or cut back hard each spring for larger, more vivid foliage — decide which effect matters more, as the two are largely mutually exclusive in a given year.
Don't feed. The smoke bush colours best and stays most compact on poor, dry soil; fed, it makes long green shoots, loses the intensity of the purple forms and flowers less.
Layering a low branch in summer is the most reliable home method. Semi-ripe cuttings work with bottom heat, but root slowly and unevenly.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MarchCut back hard now if grown mainly for foliage size and colour (this sacrifices the summer flower plumes). how ›
- JuneEnjoy the smoky flower plumes if left unpruned this year.
- OctoberEnjoy the fiery autumn leaf colour.
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchCut back hard now if grown mainly for foliage size and colour (this sacrifices the summer flower plumes). how ›
- JuneEnjoy the smoky flower plumes if left unpruned this year.
- OctoberEnjoy the fiery autumn leaf colour.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCut back hard now if grown mainly for foliage size and colour (this sacrifices the summer flower plumes). how ›
- MayEnjoy the smoky flower plumes if left unpruned this year.
- OctoberEnjoy the fiery autumn leaf colour.
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- FebruaryCut back hard now if grown mainly for foliage size and colour (this sacrifices the summer flower plumes). how ›
- MayEnjoy the smoky flower plumes if left unpruned this year.
- NovemberEnjoy the fiery autumn leaf colour.
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Sudden branch dieback.
What to do. Cut out affected wood promptly; avoid replanting another susceptible plant in the same spot.
How to spot it. Small orange-pink pustules on dead wood.
What to do. Remove and dispose of dead wood promptly.
How to spot it. On soft new growth.
What to do. Tolerate low levels; encourage predators.
Popular varieties
Questions
Smoke bush: is it hardy?
H5: Hardy in most of the UK, but can struggle in the coldest inland or upland spots. It survives down to −15 °C.
Can it grow in a pot?
Especially suited to a pot if kept compact by hard annual pruning.
Smoke bush: when do you prune it?
Either leave unpruned to enjoy the smoky summer flower plumes, or cut back hard each spring for larger, more vivid foliage — decide which effect matters more, as the two are largely mutually exclusive in a given year. In the calendar for UK, pruning falls in March.
Smoke bush: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in June–July.
When do you feed it?
Don't feed. The smoke bush colours best and stays most compact on poor, dry soil; fed, it makes long green shoots, loses the intensity of the purple forms and flowers less.