RE: Cotinus OK in Spain?
- Subject: RE: Cotinus OK in Spain?
- From: &* A* O*
- Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 17:07:09 -0700
At 02:08 PM 7/31/01 -0700, Cheryl Renshaw wrote:
>Hi Nick (and welcome!)
>
>Cotinus coggygria (one of my favorite species names to write with all those
>descenders!) is a favorite plant here in California. Here, quoted without
>permission but I hope they don't mind, is what our Sunset Western Garden
>Book says about it:
>
>Plants are at their best under stress in poor or rocky soil. In cultivated
>gardens, give them fast drainage and avoid overly wet conditions. Resistant
>to oak root fungus. Native from southern Europe to central China.
>
>So perhaps you're treating it too well?
>
>Cheryl
Nick -
I have had this information also confirmed from various sources. My first
impression of this plant was also that it wanted a softer life than it got
here in California, so I was also surprised to find out it wanted things a
bit harder.
Last October while in the south of France, driving near Gourdon on the
river Loup, I remarked to our host at how the countryside looked so similar
to California, mainly because of the red-orange coloration that reminded me
of our local Poison Oak - Toxidendron (formerly Rhus) diversiloba. She
replied that it was the Venetian Sumac, Rhus cotinus. I jotted this down
in my notebook. Later I was very surprised to discover that Rhus cotinus
is an old name for Cotinus coggygria, what we all know as Smoke bush! This
area is apparently one of its western reaches of its native range, which
extends eastward into central China.
The terrain in which it was growing was steep and sloping, very stony. It
was also open woodland, so there might have been some mitigation of the PH
but I am sure it was still alkaline (the soils in this area are much more
than we are used to here in California). This observation support what I
have read that this shrub prefers stony lean soils that are well
drained. The brown edges of the leaves you mention could easily be from
poor drainage and perhaps overly rich soil. I'm not sure it would like a
lot of wind, but based upon where I saw it growing, I'm sure there is
occasional wind even within the canopy of this woodland.
Regards,
Seán O.
h o r t u l u s a p t u s - 'a garden suited to its purpose'
Seán A. O'Hara fax (707) 667-1173 sean@support.net
710 Jean Street, Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.
