Scumpia
If you do not look closely at this shrub, it seems nothing special. Dense crown, not too large leaves, medium height. But it’s not just that skumpia has recently become a popular garden plant. Although why only garden? After all, it is not only planted in suburban areas, but is also increasingly used in urban gardening.

In the genus Skumpia (Cotinus) there are only 2 species – leather skumpia (Cotinus coggigria) and obovate mackerel (Cotinus cinerea). Both shrubs (sometimes small trees) are very decorative, especially in autumn. But the main condition for decoration is good winter hardiness. Therefore, if we say “skumpia”, as a rule, we are talking about a more winter-hardy leather skumpia. It is this species and its varieties that are often used in landscaping.

Sort of scampi

The species tannery mackerel is a shrub about 3 m high, sometimes more, in nature up to 5 m, and according to some sources up to 10 m (1). The leaves are green in summer, with a rounded, slightly elongated shape, they are somewhat reminiscent of barberry or irgu.

But there is a tannery skumpia and a special, amazingly spectacular sign. True, only in adult specimens, and only if the conditions are ideal for the plants. So this is the most important charm – a lot of the thinnest twigs-blanks covered with villi. This is the main part of the inflorescences. In the mass, they form something like a light openwork cloud along the periphery of the bush. Which one would like to call a wig. Having seen an adult skumpia at least once during flowering, you will not be surprised that its other names are a wig tree, a smoky bush, etc. By the way, you can hardly see the flowers, and later the fruits in a magnificent “wig”, they are so tiny. Except up close.

But the “wig” fades into the background if these are varieties of skumpii with unusually colored foliage. Breeders “conjured” over the shades of foliage, turning green into all sorts of bright shades:

  • Royal Purple – perhaps the most popular variety, foliage in the summer of a dark wine-red hue, especially when planted in well-lit places (there they sometimes become almost black after blooming!), True, later the color turns a little paler, and in autumn the crown of such a skumpia is intriguing scarlet ;
  • Rubrifolius – with foliage of a deep purple-plum color;
  • Grace – with red-purple leaves;
  • Golden Spirit – it attracts attention with foliage of yellow and orange hues.

Information about their frost hardiness is contradictory, but it is important to remember that varieties of skumpia are usually less winter hardy than the natural species. Frosts, coupled with snowless winters in central Our Country, are by no means a rare phenomenon, so it usually does not come to flowering. But the shades are so good that varieties are grown even if they are not able to bloom.

Care for S squipie

In general, caring for skumpia is not very difficult, but it is important to take into account some features of agricultural technology.

Ground

The unpretentiousness of skumpii to the ground, which can be read about in reference books, is very arbitrary. Yes, it is rather undemanding to soil fertility (2), especially species plants. But skumpia does not tolerate acidic soils well and is unlikely to live long on peaty ones. And she doesn’t like heavy clays. But in the middle lane is not uncommon!

Quite often, they want to include both skumpia and plants that prefer acidic soil (rhododendrons, hydrangeas) in landscapes. But when growing the latter, even on slightly acidic soils, periodic additional acidification of the soil is practiced, with pine needle mulch or special additives. Given these features of agricultural technology, skumpia should not be planted side by side with plants whose requirements for soil acidity are radically opposite.

Lighting

When choosing a place for planting skumpii, both wild forms and varieties, consider their light-loving nature. Planting even in light partial shade will lead to the fact that the unpretentious wild form will not have lush flowering, and the varietal will not please with a colorful shade of foliage.

Watering

It is easy to guess that the inhabitant of the mountain slopes, the skumpia does not like waterlogging in the root zone. Moreover, it is drought tolerant. So regular watering is required only for newly planted plants, and adult specimens can easily do without irrigation. Unless in a hot dry summer you can pamper the skumpia with abundant watering a couple of times.

In areas where waterlogging is at least sometimes possible, for example, during snowmelt, it is worth draining before planting. Or at least plant skumpia and similar plants on raised and therefore quickly drying mounds-terraces.

Do not plant skumpia next to plants that require regular abundant watering.

fertilizers

On ordinary, moderately fertile soils, skumpia does well without fertilizing. Moreover, on poor soils, the autumn color of the foliage will be brighter. But to accelerate the growth of young plants under them in the spring, you can apply any complex fertilizer, where the required ingredients are phosphorus and potassium. And when planting skumpia, it is worth filling the hole with a mixture of leaf (compost) earth and sand.

It is also worth taking note that the fertilizer of plants that are planted in the immediate vicinity of the skumpia, especially varietal, should be carried out with caution. So that nitrogen-containing preparations do not go along with skumpii, especially from mid-summer. Nitrogen will certainly contribute to a new wave of growth and shoots, not having time to mature normally, will definitely not endure frost.

Feeding

The introduction of certain preparations will be required only on “difficult” soils with a serious deficiency of any trace elements.

Trimming

Removal of broken and diseased branches is required for skumpia just like any other shrub. Anti-aging pruning (removal of old branches) is rarely done, if necessary. The shortening of individual shoots that are very prominent from the crown is not practiced every year. Only if the accuracy of landings is important. Sumpia tolerates such pruning well.

Strong pruning is carried out in not too winter-hardy varieties of skumpia, if they are regularly frosted over. And a radical pruning of all branches (the so-called landing on a stump) is required only in emergency cases, if you need to rejuvenate an old bush, in which it is difficult to selectively remove the oldest branches. But with such pruning, the likelihood of the death of the plant is high, especially if it is already weakened by diseases or unsuitable conditions.

Shelter for the winter

In frosts, varietal skumpia often freeze the ends of the branches, regardless of whether the bush is left without shelter or some measures have been taken. For example, setting up a winter shelter, throwing snow or trying to bend flexible shoots to the ground – often these activities are not successful. It is because of this that many gardeners do not bother with sheltering, and immediately upon the onset of stable sub-zero temperatures, the branches are greatly shortened. Or they transfer this operation to the spring, to the period when buds wake up on the branches.

If the first wintering of the skumpia ended successfully, then the chances that the bush will decorate the garden for decades increase. The necessary minimum, how to prepare any skumpia for winter, is to mulch the trunk circle. For example, cut wood bark or chips – purchased, or obtained on your site using a grinder of plant materials.

Reproduction of skumpii

There are several ways to breed skumpii. 

Seeds. Species skumpia can be propagated by seeds, as it naturally occurs in nature. Seeds are collected at the end of summer or in September. And they are immediately sown in the prepared soil to a depth of 1 – 1,5 cm. In autumn, the seeds do not require additional processing. 

If sowing is postponed until spring, scarification is necessary (complete or partial removal of the shell). Further, the seeds are kept for at least a month in a humid, cool environment (stratification) and only then, after swelling or the appearance of seedlings, they are sown in suitable containers or in open ground.

Cuttings. Sumpia cuttings are carried out in June. The diameter of the cuttings should be up to 1 cm. Kidneys – 4 pcs., The upper cut must be made 0,5 cm above the upper bud, the lower (oblique) below the lower bud, also 0,5 cm. One or two lower leaves are removed, the stalk treated with Kornevin or Heteroauxin. Then they are planted in a greenhouse obliquely, deepening up to half of the cutting. Planting rooted cuttings of skumpia to a permanent place is carried out no earlier than a year later.

Root growth m layering. Skumpiya cuttings take root not very willingly. It is easier to propagate it by root shoots (if it suddenly appeared) or by rooting layering. 

To obtain a layering, a flexible branch is tilted to the ground and pinned to fix it. Damage (scratch) the bark in the place where the roots should form. Sprinkle this place with moist soil, which is compacted by hand. You can put a flat stone on top. Next, you need to ensure that the soil is moist in the intended place of root formation. As a rule, after a year a small bush can be planted.

Scumpius diseases

According to the observations of gardeners, in the middle lane, in quite healthy-looking specimens of skumpia, individual branches or even the entire bush can suddenly dry out. This happens at the beginning or in the middle of summer. Most likely the reason is verticillosis. Parts of the plant affected by the fungal infection should be cut off and burned as soon as possible.

To avoid this scourge, it is recommended to treat skumpia and other plants prone to this problem with antifungal drugs for prevention. For example, drugs Topaz, Fitosporin-M (3).

Pest scampi

Skumpia is rarely damaged by pests, the problem is not very relevant. If someone has encroached on the foliage of this shrub, but the damage is single, no measures need to be taken. And in the case of mass distribution of leaf-eating pests, you can use Aktara, Aktellik (3) and other insecticides.

show more

How to use skumpia in landscape design

There are many options. For example, put in a rock garden. If the site is damp, it is better to place the skumpia in the middle part of the slope. But not in the upper third of the hill, where a large bush of species skumpii will violate the proportions of the composition and visually reduce the height of the embankment. A varietal plant will be uncomfortable in winter, because there is often a thin layer of snow.

The Japanese landscape garden is also a great place to plant species of skumpia. A large bush can zone the space, separating one zone from another. Or veil part of the fence, cover the rear of the gazebo.

The classic option for placing a species of skumpia is a tapeworm on a well-groomed lawn.

Some design tips, especially for scumpias with dark purple foliage, sometimes contradict each other. For example, some designers advise planting other plants in the same tree groups with atypically colored, variegated, but not red foliage (varietal barberries, vesicles, derains, etc.). Other experts prefer to reveal the charm of the bright color of the purple-leaved skumpia against the background of plants in a calm green tones, and light green shades should dominate, and dark ones, for example, dark conifers (varietal thuja, spruce, pine), are used only for single accents.

An unusual variant of the garden color palette is planting a purple-leaved skumpia (or similar plant) among plants with bluish-gray foliage. Sometimes these shades are called “metallic”. These can be tree crops of medium height (silver sucker, some species and varieties of willow) or lower vegetation, for example, lavender, chistets, ornamental wormwood, silver cinerraria). So that the composition does not become boring, plants with ordinary green leaves are also introduced into it.

Planting side by side of species and varietal skumpii is rarely practiced, although it has the right to exist. It is only necessary to guess that a more powerful shrub that develops freely would not crowd out the more capricious varietal skumpia and would not obscure it.

And the species skumpia can be entrusted with fixing a steep slope.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about growing skumpia with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

How to choose seedlings of skumpiya?

For planting in summer, it is better to choose seedlings in a pot, with a well-formed root system. It is better to give preference to a seedling with a symmetrical crown shape.

Is it worth it to buy sumpia seedlings in boxes?

If the seedling is healthy and has begun to grow foliage, you can purchase it, but only if there is a place for storage, cool and very light. The plant may need to be planted in an appropriately sized container.

If you plan to keep the plant in a living room or on a balcony before planting, it is better to postpone the purchase until May in order to reduce the time before planting in open ground as much as possible, up to a week.

Is it possible to plant skumpiya in the fall?

It is risky to buy skumpia in autumn, because. before winter, it is unlikely to have time to adapt to new conditions. Although there is a way out: if the skumpiya is healthy and grows in a large container, the bush is well developed, without traces of diseases and pests, the plant can be dug in the area right in the pot. Landing on a permanent place in this case is postponed until spring.

What to do with skumpiya in the fall?

In a harsh climate in November, you can shorten the branches, which will probably freeze, up to 30 cm from the ground level, with the expectation that the bush is completely covered with snow. If the bush is planted in a sheltered area where it creates large snowdrifts, pruning can be delayed.

It is useful to put props under the main branches of the bush so that the bush does not break under the weight of adhering snow.

What to do with skumpia in winter?

If the plant is covered with snow, nothing needs to be done. But if the crown is large and after a heavy snowfall, huge heavy snow caps have formed on it, you need to shake off some of the snow. But do not do this if the bush is icy or in frost, when the shoots become brittle and break easily.

What to do with skumpiya in the spring?

Skumpia wakes up quite late, often in June, so do not rush to draw conclusions about her wintering. It is better to move the mulch to the side for a while so that the earth warms up faster. At the same time, you can fertilize a little, and, if the soil in the area is acidic, add a little dolomite flour.

Is it possible to grow skumpia in the Moscow region?

And in the vicinity of the capital, and, for example, near St. Petersburg, the skumpia lives relatively well. Species plants without any problems, varietal plants are slightly worse. But much depends on the conditions of a particular site. For example, in places protected from the wind, when creating ideal conditions, the chances of a healthy plant surviving are greater.

Sources of

  1. Shvanova V.V. Sumpia // Great Encyclopedia https://bigenc.ru/biology/text/3624769
  2. Konovalova T.Yu., Shevyreva N.A. Ornamental shrubs, or 1000 plants for your garden. Illustrative reference book // CJSC “Fiton +” 2004 – 192 p.
  3. State catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals approved for use on the territory of the Federation as of July 6, 2021 // Ministry of Agriculture of the Federation https://mcx.gov.ru/ministry/departments/departament-rastenievodstva-mekhanizatsii-khimizatsii- i-zashchity-rasteniy/industry-information/info-gosudarstvennaya-usluga-po-gosudarstvennoy-registratsii-pestitsidov-i-agrokhimikatov/

Leave a Reply