Royal Purple Smoketree

Originating in the wooded hills above the Mediterranean, the smoketree holds true to its name. The species boasts blooms that are wispy clumps of filaments—either cream or pink—that look like puffs of smoke. This defining feature has earned it other nicknames including mist tree, cloud tree, wig tree and Jupiter’s beard. It also caused Minnesota garden writer Don Engebretson to proclaim it “one of the most arresting shrubs available to…gardeners today.”

This easy-to-grow specimen is a good choice for a shrub border or other grouping. It can either flourish as a multi-stemmed shrub, be pruned to a single-trunk tree or be cut back every year to maintain the look of a smaller bushy plant.