You beauty I thought, because yes, they do thrive in our town.

Then I saw another at the top of St. George’s Terrace in East.

My goodness I thought, we must get one of those to put their bags down in our garden.

Why are they over there and not here?

Three years ago we put in a special order for Smoke Bush (Cotinus coggygia).

Can you believe it? The cultivar we got was ‘Grace.’

The full name is C.c. ‘Grace.’

It must be because of the wispy inflorescence (flowers), which could resemble purple smoke, or in this case, that ephemeral and highly desired state of grace.

For those who are rusty with biblical terms, ‘grace’ means kindness or divine mercy.

At Genesis 6:8 Noah found ‘grace’ in the eyes of God, or God was pleased with Noah.

Another translation renders how Noah found favour in the eyes of Jehovah.

From these we get the idea of how the nurseryman anticipated how we, the gardening public, would approve and favour this purple bush.

The generic name Cotinus has an obscure Greek derivation.

However, the plant is in the Cashew family next to Peppercorn, Pistacia, Mango, and the colourful Sumac.

It comes from southern Europe, Middle East, and central China. Quite a wide range which means it can adapt. It is deciduous and grows some three or four metres high and wide.

It has a general rounded outline and is regarded as one of the most brilliant autumn displays with yellow, orange and scarlet leaf colours.

It prefers an open, sun-exposed spot and copes with a harsh climate.

We bought three and two have coloured nicely. The third had too much shade in our busy garden. Our plants are hidden, so your quest is to look for them.

A clue is to walk slowly along Coronation Drive at the back of the Sensory Garden. Happy hunting.

I personally have another reason to take a shine to our Smoke Bush. While I was expecting to get either varieties ‘Purpureus’ or ‘Foliis Purpureis,’ I ended up with the new release, ‘Grace.’

This shrub has everything desired, but also the name has special meaning for me.

You see, my four year old niece is named ‘Grace.’

She has Korean/Japanese/Irish (this last being my brother’s contribution) background.

Little Gracie is the most endearing and pleasing little girl, with a smile (my happiness), ready to melt your heart.

The plant will too.