Fundamental Facts
HARDINESS: Zones 5 to 9
PREFERRED SOIL pH: Widely adaptable
PREFERRED SOIL TYPE: Moist, fertile, well-drained
PREFERRED LIGHT: Partial shade
ATTRIBUTES: Pink flowers in spring, yellow leaves in fall; for specimens, woodlands
SEASON OF INTEREST: Spring through fall
FAVORITES: C. canadensis and cultivars; C. reniformis 'Oklahoma'; C. siliquastrum
QUIRKS: Tends to lean toward the sun as it grows older
GOOD NEIGHBORS: Dogwood, azalea, serviceberry, silverbell, spring bulbs
WHERE IT GROWS BEST: Moist, fertile soil in partial shade
LONGEVITY: Lives 10-20 years
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: Trunk canker, verticillium wilt, heartwood rot
SOURCE: Nursery plants
DIMENSIONS: 15-20 ft (4.6-6.1 m) tall and wide
Redbud in the Landscape
In the woods of eastern North America, redbud is usually second among the trees that flower in early spring, blooming just after serviceberries and right before dogwoods. In the home landscape, the lavender-pink blossoms of the redbud flower in concert with early crocuses and daffodils. Redbuds bloom prolifically before their leaves unfurl, covering their branches with tiny flowers from the tips of their twigs all the way to the main trunk. Flowers sometimes even push their way right through the bark of old limbs, though blossoming is often heaviest on 2-year-old branches.
The rest of the year, redbud is a small, muscular-looking tree with broad, heart-shaped leaves, It produces long, yellow-green seedpods followed by and its yellow leaves in fall. Redbud grows about 15-20 ft (4.6-6.1 m) tall and wide. For it to enjoy a long life, redbud needs moist, well-drained soil in a partly shaded site, a situation often found along the edges of yards or near the corners of houses. It transplants best when small, and grows quickly the first 5 to 10 years after planting. Thereafter this tree maintains a steady size but often declines after 20 years.
Other Care-Free Redbuds
Several color variants are available. Sometimes called whitebud, Cercis canadensis 'Alba' has pure white flowers, while those of 'Ruby Atkinson' are pale pink. These pastel-flowered types are often easier to blend into the vibrant spring garden color scheme. For a vivid statement, there is 'Flame' and 'Double Flame', both with magenta flowers, and 'Forest Pansy', which has wine red leaves.
Another native is western redbud (C. occidentalis), which looks similar to its eastern cousin but is more drought tolerant and hardy to Zone 8. Nurseries in hot, dry regions may also stock redbuds adapted to local conditions, such as C. mexicana, C. reniformis, or C. texensis. C. reniformis 'Oklahoma' is a particularly profuse bloomer.
The European redbud (C. siliquastrum), also called Judas tree, is a slightly larger tree than the native redbud. The spring flowers are a darker shade of rose, and the seedpods are purple. It is hardy to Zone 6.
Growing Redbud
Redbuds have rangy roots that were not designed with transplanting in mind. Balled-and-burlapped trees are fine if you plant them while they are small, but look for container-grown plants when setting out larger redbuds to reduce transplant shock. Provide water to keep the soil barely moist the first season after transplanting. Young trees quickly grow into an open, irregular, vase-shape that requires no pruning. As they age, redbuds may lean toward the most abundant light, which gives them an even more interesting shape.
Redbuds can slowly fall victim to several life-shortening diseases. Trunk canker causes branches to die, and verticillium wilt, a soil-borne fungal disease, also causes parts of redbud trees to wilt and die. Ultimately, most elderly redbuds succumb to heart-wood rot, dying from the inside out. When a redbud more than 20 years old shows consistent signs of decline, you should make plans to plant a replacement tree nearby.
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