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Thursday, 23 June 2011

Good plant #104 - Cotinus Coggygria 'Royal Purple'


This deciduous shrub is a gardener's favourite. Why? It creates great contrast in a border and can be pruned to suit the space you have available.

It's also known as a smoke bush because its pink-ish flowers have a feathery appearance which looks smoky.

I suggest pruning this hard back (remove crossing branches and down to two buds per stem) in early spring to encourage really vibrant foliage. Like most shrubs it loves a 2-3 inch mulch of rich compost round the base in early spring.

This plant does best in moist but well drained soil. It'll thrive in full sun and part shaded sites.

Cuttings can be taken in late summer and early autumn.

For more good plants and gardening tips click here:http://greenshootsgardeningandhorticulture.blogspot.com/ and check out the archive at the bottom of the page.

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