| | Redbud Trees
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Redbuds are truly one of our more beautiful
flowering trees. They are native to
our east coast. The flowers appear
along the branches and are often very graceful in full bloom.
Most varieties bloom pink in April before the leaves emerge.
Redbud trees tend to grow with a very natural habit.
Each tree develops its own unique shape.
Some have multiple trunks, while others are pruned and trained to have a
single trunk. Nice heart-shaped
leaves adorn the plant from spring to fall.
Redbuds prefer to be planted in a half a day of sun or more.
Redbuds do tolerate full sun, but prefer some shade. Full shade may cause
the plant to take on a more awkward appearance.
Redbuds are soil moisture sensitive especially within the first year
after transplanting. Be sure not to
allow them to dry out for too long. Be
sure to water evenly, but not excessively.
Severe winters can injure Redbuds and cause some branches to have dead
wood, simply prune out these branches as needed.
Below is a list of varieties often stocked at Kennedy’s.
Eastern Redbud – Cercis canadensis – The most
common variety of Redbud. Grows
15-25’ tall and wide. Can be
purchased or pruned to have a multi-trunk or single trunk.
New growth is slightly reddish. Heart-shaped
green leaves. Fall color is usually
a shade of yellow. 2-3” seed pods
appear in the fall. More noticeable
on older trees.
Forest Pansy Redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Forest
Pansy’) – Similar to above with glossy new red leaves in the early
spring as the flowers fade. Red
foliage color fades somewhat, but remains dark through the summer.
Foliage looks great and makes a nice contrast with green leaf plants.
White Redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Alba’) –
similar to Cercis canadensis, but with white flowers instead of pink.
Very nice. Not as commonly
planted.
Weeping Redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Covey’) – A
weeping, cascading variety of redbud. A
unique tree for its habit and blooms. Typical
heart-shaped leaves are very attractive on this weeping form.
Flowers similar to Cercis canadensis.
A much smaller tree. Heights
and sizes vary depending how they were grown as a young plant.
Often not taller than 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide after 10 years.
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Photo by Chris Kennedy, MCH
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Variegated Redbud (Cercis canadensis ‘Silver Cloud’)
– A unique and unusual tree for the plant collector. Green leaves dappled with white are very pretty.
Like many variegated plants it tends not to bloom as profusely as the
original. Grows best in part shade
to about 15’ tall and wide.
Chinese Redbud – Cercis chinensis - A
smaller, slower growing tree. A
nice selection for smaller spaces. Usually
grown as a multi-stemmed tree. Not
as cold hardy. May suffer some
dieback during cold winters.
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*Photographs courtesy of Horticopia, Inc.
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