Cercis canadensis - Eastern Redbud

Few would argue the Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is one of the finest ornamentals among small flowering trees. Its flowering habit is unique among trees with pink-red buds forming along the branches throughout the entire crown (and not just the branch tips) in March and early April. These buds open to reveal pink-purple flowers in mid-April here in western Pennsylvania and last around three weeks. Redbuds are easy to identify when flowering as they appear to have a pink silhouette around most of the tree, even along thick, older branches. As flowers fade, attractive green heart shaped leaves begin to form. Fall color is usually a modest but respectable yellow.

Eastern redbuds have been, somewhat unfairly, viewed as temperamental. The key to success, however, is understanding how and where they grow naturally and how to site and/or mimic these conditions in the landscape. If a few conditions are met, Redbuds are fairly adaptable and easy to grow.

Eastern redbud is native throughout most of the mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and central parts of the United States with Pennsylvania and Michigan occupying the northern limits of its range. It's generally found growing in the understory and along the edges of forests and woodlands, often on upland slopes in neutral to slightly alkaline soils (e.g., limestone). As an understory tree, redbuds prefer part sun when planted in our gardens and landscapes. They will, however, grow well in full sun if planted in the vicinity of other trees and vegetation. Surrounding vegetation helps moderate intense wind exposure and extreme temperatures. Avoid planting redbuds as stand alone specimens in empty, exposed areas and site them away from surfaces that dramatically heat up in the summer months such as asphalt, cement, brick, and extensive river rock.

Eastern redbud is adaptable to a variety of soils as long as drainage is good. They grow well in neutral to slightly alkaline soils - where they frequent in the wild - but they'll also will grow in average acid soils that exist in most home gardens. They also grow well in clay soils as long as they don't accumulate too much water after rainstorms. As a member of the pea family, they colonize bacterium in and along their roots to foster and "fix" nitrogen. This trait enables redbuds to thrive in leaner soils. As such, you don't need to concern yourself with fertilizing. Once established, redbuds will tolerate dry spells (although a little supplemental watering during droughts is a good idea).

As a regular component of eastern forests and woodlands, Eastern redbud contributes a host of ecological services. The flowers are an important source of nectar and pollen for queen bumblebees in spring when they emerge from hibernation and begin to build nests. In summer, you may notice sporadic, circular shaped cut outs from the foliage. These are the handiwork of indigenous leaf cutter bees. These bees are solitary, nonaggressive bees that use these leaf cut outs to build tubular nurseries for their offspring.

Fun fact: many parts of this tree are edible. Many opine that the flowers have a subtle floral sweetness with a slightly tart aftertaste. Developing seedpods, when they are purplish-green, resemble snow peas and can be similarly used in salads and stir fry.

A few naturally occurring varieties and many colorful cultivars (short for "cultivated variety") exist in the nursery trade which is exciting from a horticultural perspective. We sell many of them here. With that said, in our experience, the straight species tends to be the most vigorous, and for that reason, is the one we recommend the most.

If deer are a problem for you, we recommend you provide your tree with protection, such as a metal cage, until the tree is large enough to not be severely damaged.

Written by Plumline staff and not AI.