Prune crowded and crossing branches in the center of the smoke tree to increase.

Jun 27, When to Prune a Smoke Tree Trimming smoke trees can be done in late winter or very early spring. As a general rule, pruning smoke trees for shape is done in very early spring when the plant is still mostly dormant and the process will create less stress.

Summer flowering trees such as smoke trees need to be pruned before flower buds have treeclearing.barted Reading Time: 2 mins. Like most spring-flowering trees and shrubs, the purple smoke tree is pruned after flowering, when the puffs fade and fall from the tree.

1 Put on gloves and safety glasses before pruning. Wear. Apr 06, Trimming smoke trees can be done in late winter or very early spring. Summer flowering trees such as smoke tree need to be pruned before flower buds have shown. The rule for pruning deciduous flowering plants states that if it flowers after June 1, like the smoke bush, you need to prune in early spring.

It is also possible that Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ is able to flower on “old” wood that has grown in the current year.

Flowering in June might give time for winter pruned smokebush to grow spring shoots and harden them off to produce flower buds in summer.

Cut all of the limbs and stems of the smoke tree down to about 2 1/2 inches above the ground in February or March. 2 Repeat this cutting once a year for a smoke tree with abundant colorful foliage.