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Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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Posted by paula_in_pa z6 SEPA ChesCo (My Page) on Wed, Oct 1, 08 at 18:20
| Any one grow it? I've had it for 3 years now, with never any fall colored foliage it's touted to produce. Even seen recently in a local well known nursery, their's looked the same as mine... just turns brown and falls off.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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- Posted by bboy z8 WA USA (My Page) on
Wed, Oct 1, 08 at 19:49
| Mileage does vary with conditions. Try a different spot. Plant doesn't look very happy anyway, should be growing more vigorously. Aster etc. around it may indicate wrong soil conditions. |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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| I'll agree it doesn't look happy. In fact, looks very stressed, as in has a root problem -- perhaps running short of water? |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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| hmmm,,,, I thought it bloomed well indicating happy enough , and, the ones in the pots at the nursery seemed to be in the same state, but you've given me more to consider, thanks - |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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- Posted by bboy z8 WA USA (My Page) on
Thu, Oct 2, 08 at 14:45
| Normal mode for species is fairly rapid growth rather soon producing a large spreading bush. But many propagations of the common 'Royal Purple' cultivar seem to lack horsepower also. The browning of the leaves might just be autumn death - or instead a blight. Smokebush is prone to verticillium wilt, for instance. I don't think it likes a moist or humusy soil very much. In at least part of its natural range it grows in scrub with peach trees, lilacs and other hot climate species. It is frequently recommended for xeriscaping (drought-tolerant landscaping). |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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| But before it can cope with life in a xeriscape, it must have a fully established root system. Even though it's been in the ground for 3 years, it may still not be established. Try this: Grasp the trunk at a convenient height, then rock the trunk back and forth while watching the soil immediately next to the trunk of the tree. If the soil moves, even if only a "little bit," it's not yet established. |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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- Posted by bboy z8 WA USA (My Page) on
Fri, Oct 3, 08 at 13:19
| If still loose after three years, then, again there is a problem with the root zone. New roots appear in spring, existing roots elongate in fall. Even a bare-rooted tree or shrub planted in spring should have a good grip on the ground by the first winter, having made new root growth from the cut root ends the spring it was planted and then moved out and penetrated the surrounding soil significantly the first fall after planting. Not much root growth happens in summer, less in winter. |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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| Rocking in the soil is a little hard to determine as we've had quite a bit of rain recently. I slightly rocked a number of years established shrubs and trees around the yard, including the Cotinus. I recall it being steady in the ground the last time it was dry, and weeding around it. The soil is lightly amended clay. Full sun, slight slope. Here's the bloom from this past season, the only picture unfortunately. I cannot bet my life on not seeing any v. wilt on the leaves after bloom, but if it was there, it was not alarming, and I look at my landscape daily, especially this bed. I can't help but compare mine to what should be proper colored specimens being grown in the nursery, but they looked the same as mine. I spotted them instantly in a group of potted plants. Unless theirs were afflicted with wilt, and they hadn't got around to hiding them out of site. (On open house day?) This is a well known choice/rare plant source. My other question I intially meant to post but forgot, was why I cannot google any photos of the fall color. I find a few on the purple leafed variety, but not Young Lady. 
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RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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- Posted by jean001 z8aPortland, OR (My Page) on
Fri, Oct 3, 08 at 23:38
| Verticillium wilt doesn't show up on the leaves, other than the leaves wilt and/or die. It's a soil-borne fungus which plugs the vascular system. Just what dies -- a branch or the entire tree -- depends upon where the "plug" is stuck. The telltale symptom -- when it occurs -- is a stain in the cambium. |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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- Posted by bboy z8 WA USA (My Page) on
Sat, Oct 4, 08 at 0:17
| My point was the smokebush can have serious disease problems on the wrong site, not that I thought yours had verticillium wilt specifically. Rootbound stock is pandemic in nurseries here, a tree or shrub that wobbles years after planting may have a knot of deformed roots left from when it was held in a small pot too long by a grower. Looks like you got a very nice flower display from it. |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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| I was fortunate to find another one growing well in my area. There was no comparison, it was still in full glossy green foliage, looking well, in quite a bit of shade as well. I have to make a point to check it later for fall color. bboy and jean you were dead on - my thanks.... is there nothing I can do for mine, in it's current location? |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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- Posted by bboy z8 WA USA (My Page) on
Tue, Oct 7, 08 at 14:07
| Depends on what it is wrong. Maybe take samples of affected parts to local Cooperative Extension office if possible. |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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| I have two of these shrubs, they "smoke" like crazy, but the leaves in the fall gradually turn brown and stay like that until spring. Otherwise, gorgeous shrubs. I have had them for three years now. Is there a secret to make their leaves change color? They are about 3' tall, in full sun, protected from the wind, reasonably watered. Maybe, still too young? |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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| My earlier pictures were eliminated with aol home pages, so re-posting what mine looked like a year ago. I waited it out with my 'Young Lady', and it's growing and bloomed this year, like the machine it's touted to be. Right now it has 3 or 4 leaves that are orangish red, but the rest are green and going brown. Only difference from last year is lots of rain...and a cooler summer. last Oct. 1
 this Oct 
June '09
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RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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| I have a small Cotinus 'Young Lady' in a pot and it has very pretty yellow w touches of red and orange color. Or it did before it rained yesterday. I was going to take a photo of it and got sidetracked. I will try to remember to tomorrow. I wonder if the difference is that it is in potting soil and not garden soil? Maybe when the plant goes into the ground and has to deal with different PH, it produces different effects for fall color? |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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| Here it is.... 
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RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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| praire, I have not found information relative to Ph of soil and fall color, and I saw potted plants at one nursery that looked as poor as mine did last fall. Only one nursery, as this is not a local commonly found plant. I've been studying mine each day and it seems to be getting more color. Other plants in the yard are in good color this year, different than other autumns, I believe due to conditions - wet, cold nights. |
RE: Cotinus 'Young Lady' fall foliage not to advertised
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| No, I didn't think there would actually be any hard facts on whether ph effects fall colors. It was just all I could think of for a reason why a shrub in a pot could have different color than one in the ground. I hope yours does get more color this year! |
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