Plant Type

Tree, Shrub

 

Height Range

6-12'

 

Flower Color

Pink

 

Flower Season

Summer

 

Leaf Color

Blue Green

 

Bark Color

Grey

 

Fruit Color

n/a

 

Fruit Season

n/a

Sun

Full

 

Water

Medium, Extra in Summer

 

Growth Rate

Moderate

 

Soil Type

Clay, Loam, Rocky, Unparticular

 

Soil Condition

Average, Rich, Poor, Well-drained, Dry

 

Soil pH

Acid, Neutral, Basic

 

Adverse Factors

n/a

Design Styles

English Cottage, Mediterranean, Ranch, Spanish, Native Garden

 

Accenting Features

Fall Color, Multi-trunk Tree, Showy Flowers, Specimen

 

Seasonal Interest

Summer, Fall

 

Location Uses

Background, Shrub Border, Foundation, Patio, Walls / Fences

 

Special Uses

Screen

 

Attracts Wildlife

n/a

Velvet Cloak is another purple-leaved selection of Smoketree. It is deciduous, and grows around 10 to 15 feet tall and wide. New foliage is deep purple, turning a bronzy-purple-green in summer and orange in the fall. Plume-like seed heads form wispy, thread-like clusters of deep pink during the summer months.

Grow in full sun and well-drained soils; tolerates wide range of soils except wet, poorly-drained ones. Prefers somewhat infertile loams, but also does well in poor, rocky soils. Shallow fibrous root system makes it hard to grow anything but shallow-rooted groundcovers underneath. If bloom is not a concern, stems may be cut back hard in early spring each year to induce growth of vigorous new shoots with slightly larger than normal leaves. Such hard annual prunings will control size, but most likely at the expense of profuse flowering. Hard pruning is more often done on the purple-leaved cultivars as new foliage usually has the brightest color.