The smoke bush has a number of fine cultivars, such as 'Royal Purple,' with maroon leaves, and 'Golden Spirit' with yellow leaves. It tolerates quite a bit of drought when established.

There are many popular varieties of smoke bush. You'll see four main types of smoke bush on the market. "Golden Spirit," one of the most common, actually isn't purple (the plant's mainstay shade).

Smoke bush can tolerate partial sun, though it thrives in full sun. (Purple-leaved varieties have the best color when given full sun.) It likes medium-moist but well-drained soil.

Smoke bush can tolerate partial sun, though it thrives in full sun. (Purple-leaved varieties have the best color when given full sun.) It likes medium-moist but well-drained soil.

A vase-shaped witch hazel that shades golden, or purple smoke bushes (Cotinus coggygria) with leaves that turn luminously scarlet, are sure to draw attention to this most poignant of times.

Smoke bushes aren't just a flat black -- even the darkest cultivars, such as 'Royal Purple,' flush out translucent red in spring, before settling to a matte finish for the summer.

Now there’s a colorful new dwarf smoke bush, Cotinus coggygria ‘Winecraft Black’, which grows to a maximum of 6 feet. Its leaves emerge rich purple, turning almost black in summer before ...