Cotinus Among Us!

“Gardens and flowers have a way of bringing people together, drawing them from their homes.”

- Clare Ansberry, The Women of Troy Hill: The Back-Fence Virtues of Faith and Friendship

Feel that subtle nip in the evening air? Like it or not, fall is just around the corner. Luckily autumn is perhaps the best season to get creative in floral design. The fall design palette is all about contrast and texture, Sun Valley is known for our lilies, iris and tulips, but we have an eccentric, funky and arty side of our offerings as well.

This cotinus reaches 10 feet tall!

Did you know we have a wild variety of branches, pods, berries and greens? These non-conventional design elements add an eccentric touch to any arrangement, which will leave even experienced floral pros asking, “What is that?”

Sunlight brings out the rich burgundy of the cotinus.

Cotinus is one of these hip, modish crops.  It is a dark branch, offering leaves which are maroon on the top and dark greenish on the bottom.  There are highlights of purple, burgundy and scarlet running through the leaves giving this subdued design element some serious visual interest.

Cotinus’ common name is “smoke bush” or “smoke tree,” which is derived from the wispy clusters of flowers that appear as puffs of smoke around the plant.  We harvest before the plant flowers, so don’t expect any puffs of smoke from us.  Cotinus grows at our farm in Willow Creek, California; this farm is up in the hills of Humboldt County right on the banks of the Trinity River.  This is an ideal spot to grow this crop, since it loves the sun.  It grows in tall rows, and really stretches to the sky.  These branches will shoot up to 10 feet tall in a single season.

Gardeners have used cotinus extensively for years; it is a great boarder and can even act as a living fence in your garden.  The tree has been bred to grow in different shape and sizes; however the tall, straight "Royal Purple" variety we grow is my favorite.

A gorgeous arrangement (and photo) by Lynn Staine of Fiori By Lynne featuring cotinus, check out her website and blog.

An autumn arrangement featuring Sun Valley Fall Tulips and our cotinus, by Pieter Landman.

In the design studio cotinus is very versatile, it can act as a dark back ground element, or stand out as a tall, eye catching focal.  To this end, Sun Valley offers custom cuts, how many other floral products can you get a 6 foot custom cut?  This probably the only one.

Have a look at our Cotinus Resource Page, and why not order few boxes of this unique foliage?