[Helios]

One for the plant gurus..

Is it typical for Smoke Trees (Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple') to shift from purple to green in summer? I've heard of some color problems with seed grown stock versus cuttings. Full sun, well drained soil (they are still at a nursery). No wilting, dessication or leaf drop noted- just green leaves instead of purple. Stress, disease, mislabel or natural variation in color?

[BuenPatron]

One more for the plant gurus:

Could it be a case of the nursery overfertilizing? I ask because I've seen alot of C. Coggygria growing around here, with the crappiest soil on the planet, looking all nice and pale purple. S
Surely these homeowners don't all share some smoketree secret.

But it's not the leaves that are purple but the seed heads, no?

[Forge]

Well, if they are grown from seed of a cultivar, there is no guarantee that they will be true to parentage, so that may be the problem as smoke trees are naturally green leaved. I have never heard of leaves turning on Smoke trees unless it was a lack of sun issue, but that is true with any red colored leafy plant usually. It is never a change to completely green though...

I know Smoke trees prefer the most awful soil they can get, and even thrive in it, so it may be as BuenPatron says and be overfertilizing. The most beautiful smoke tree I ever saw was planted in dang near hardpan, they had trained it to a 'serpent' form and it was over 30' long, when it bloomed they would prune it to look like it was a spiny ridge on the back.

Anyway...I am probably not near the expert some of the GTX denizens are and eagerly await their response.

[Helios]

Mystery solved: The smoke trees in question are not 'Royal Purple'-- they are 'Velvet Cloak'. Apparently, Velvet Cloak can go through a summertime green color shift before turning purple again in the fall. Mis-labeled stock is the culprit this time. That almost never happens, right?