When and how to prune the Cotinus?

The Cotinus is an extremely decorative bush, prized for its beautiful foliage, its ethereal flowering and its ease of cultivation. Very hardy, it's also highly resistant to drought and heat, adapting to all soil types, even poor, stony and chalky soils. Growing freely, the Cotinus eventually forms a bush with an irregular, spreading habit. With fairly rapid growth, the Smoke bush can perfectly do without pruning but responds very well to being shaped by the gardener's hand. It's therefore easy to control its size and shape to integrate it harmoniously into a small garden or landscape design. Discover in our tutorial all our advice on when and how to prune this very beautiful decorative bush!

*Cotinus coggygria 'Smokey Joe' voluble*

When to Prune the Smoke Bush?

The best time to prune Cotinus is between late winter and early spring, before its growth resumes. Since flowering occurs on wood at least one year old, pruning should be gentle and spare the oldest branches, otherwise you risk missing out on its delicate inflorescences.

It's also possible to remove some branches just after flowering.

How to Prune Cotinus?

Pruning Cotinus is within every gardener's reach. Useful for maintaining a harmonious shape, creating a small tree effect or completely rejuvenating a specimen, it follows fairly simple principles. In all cases, don't hesitate to step back regularly and observe your plant from different angles to achieve a balanced result.

Maintenance Pruning

Left to its own devices, Cotinus produces numerous branches with random orientations, giving the bush a somewhat straggly habit. Every year in early spring, before new leaves appear, use sharp secateurs or loppers.

Remove all dead branches at their base.
Cut back frost-damaged branch sections to the first outward-facing bud.
Remove inward-growing branches at their point of origin
If two branches grow in the same direction but are too close together, keep only the most vigorous one.
Similarly, don't let branches rub against each other as this can damage the bark. Select the best positioned and most attractive branch and remove the other.
If desired, to reduce the bush's volume, you can cut back the longest stems by half (cutting just above an outward-facing node), but remember that flowering only occurs on wood at least one year old, so your bush likely won't flower on shortened branches. Another option is to let the bush flower first, then prune the relevant branches after flowering.

Tree-Form Pruning

Cotinus is a bush that can reach impressive sizes depending on the variety, sometimes resembling a small tree. You can accentuate this effect by clearing the base of trunks while raising the crown.

Select 3 to 5 of the most attractive branches from the base (odd numbers often create more aesthetic results). They should ideally spread from the centre in a fairly regular, open pattern.
Cleanly remove all side branches up to the desired height to reveal the main branches which will thicken over time to form trunks.
In the upper section, proceed as with maintenance pruning, adjusting the volume to create a balanced, rounded shape.
Each year, maintain trunk clarity and continue maintenance pruning in the upper section.

*Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' pruned into tree form*

Coppicing and Rejuvenating Cotinus

To maintain a bushy, dense habit for your Smoke bush, you can encourage complete annual regeneration by coppicing. Coppicing is a very simple operation involving cutting all branches back close to the ground. Pruned this way, the bush typically produces larger leaves with more pronounced colours but won't flower.

Using secateurs or loppers, cut all stems back to about 15-20cm from the ground, ideally cutting just above an outward-facing bud at a slight inward angle. This prevents water pooling on the cut surface.

How to Cleanly Cut a Large Branch?

If branches are too thick for secateurs or loppers, use a pruning saw.

First make a small undercut on the branch to be removed.
Then make a top cut a few centimetres above the undercut. This prevents bark tearing if the branch breaks.
Once the branch is removed, you can make a final clean cut closer to the trunk.

Tools Needed for Pruning Cotinus

To prune your Smoke bush properly and cleanly, you'll need:

sharp, clean secateurs (small branches)
sharp, clean loppers (medium branches)
a pruning saw (or arborist saw) for large branches
gardening gloves (while not completely protective, they can still be useful)