Redbuds are sweet harbingers of spring and one of the first plants to bloom after winter. The early spring show begins with purple-pink blooms lining slender branches for an all-over outline of color. In the legume (Fabaceae) family, clusters of pea-like flowers appear in profusion. The bundles of petite blooms provide an early nectar source for hummingbirds and other pollinators.
From the native North American species to its cultivars, heart-shaped leaves in hues from rich green to chartreuse to purple-black continue the tree’s aesthetic attributes. In different forms, from broad and spreading to small and weeping, redbuds suit a variety of garden situations.
Cercis are easy, low-maintenance growers that adapt to various site conditions, from poor soils to shifting sunlight. They perform best in average, well-draining soils with consistent moisture. Grow them in full sun to partial shade, with afternoon sun protection ideal in hot climates.
Plant redbuds as saplings and avoid transplanting, as they don’t respond well to root disturbance. The small, flowering understory trees highlight the landscape with outstanding foliage and mulitseason appeal.
‘Eastern’
Eastern redbuds are small understory trees or large shrubs native to eastern North America. Their range extends from Ontario to the Great Lakes, south to Mexico and Florida, and west to Texas. Light pink to magenta flowers open along bare branches in early spring, with a long bloom time before leaves take their place.
New leaves emerge bright green with red tinges and age to a deeper green. In fall, foliage may turn bright yellow for good color.
The trees are broad with short main or multi-trunks and a spreading canopy. They grow quickly when young and moderate with age. Young trees are upright, vase-shaped, and spread with zig-zagging stems as they grow.
The bark is reddish-brown and fissured with cinnamon shades. Dark brown buds line the stems in the winter. After flowering, trees may produce long green seed pods, turning brown in midsummer and persisting through fall and winter. The seed pods, heavier in some years, are a food source for birds and small mammals.
‘Forest Pansy’
‘Forest Pansy’ is a favorite cultivar from Forest Nursery in McMinnville, Tennessee, in 1947. New growth is shimmery burgundy-purple and transitions to gray-green on upper surfaces as temperatures warm.
The blooms match the rich purple shades in rosy lilac and resemble little pansies. The extremely showy cultivar has a red-orange to purple fall color.
‘Forest Pansy’ received the Royal Horticulture Society’s Award of Garden Merit for its ornamental value and landscape performance. Provide regular moisture, especially during hot, dry spells.
‘Oklahoma’
This Texas and Oklahoma native has a more compact, rounded form than the species. It’s a good fit for small space gardens with room for height to enjoy the showy appeal in spring through fall.
‘Oklahoma’ blossoms are dark magenta to wine-red. The thick, waxy leaves are glossy dark green.
This selection is more drought-tolerant than the straight species but less cold-hardy, only to zone 6. The redbud is Oklahoma’s state tree for good reason—upon discovery in 1964, this species grew wild in the Arbuckle Mountains.
‘Lavender Twist’
‘Lavender Twist’ brings abundant rosy lavender flowers to weeping, contorted stems for an umbrella of color. Leaves appear with a red blush and transition to blue-green.
Stake or train young trees to stand upright. Staked specimens may reach 8-10’, while unstaked will naturally remain at 4-5’.
This small, weeping specimen is from the private garden of Connie Covey in Westfield, New York, in the early 1990s. ‘Covey’ is sold under the tradename ‘Lavender Twist.’
‘Ruby Falls’
This little darling is a weeping variety with purple leaves and green midribs and veins. Out of North Carolina State University’s breeding program, ‘Ruby Falls’ is a cross between ‘Forest Pansy’ and ‘Covey.’
The cascading stems produce a profusion of deep rose blossoms, and leaves emerge in maroon purple. They age to deep green.
The weeping habit and small stature make ‘Ruby Falls’ a candidate for container, patio, or small-space specimens. Use it as a focal point or to contrast other foliage and flowers in form and color.
‘The Rising Sun’
‘The Rising Sun’ is a glowing specimen with kaleidoscopic leaves in lime green, melon orange, and yellow. Discovered growing in a row of planted seedlings at Jackson Nursery in Belvidere, Tennessee, its parentage is unknown.
The dynamic show continues all summer, with new leaves in yellow and orange adding to the mix of greens and gold. In the fall, the leaves are deeper gold and orange.
In early spring, the rosy pink flowers appear. ‘The Rising Sun is heat—and drought-tolerant. Regular watering, fertilizing, and pruning dead branches help keep them healthy.
‘Black Pearl’
Contrasting the sunny hues of ‘The Rising Sun’ is ‘Black Pearl,’ a decadently dark-leaved selection. Mahogany red new growth retains its color all summer, blending with shades of dark green.
The heart-shaped leaves are large, reaching over five inches across. In the fall, they turn chartreuse and yellow.
‘Black Pearl’ is a cultivated hybrid of ‘Ruby Falls’ and ‘The Rising Sun.’ Its flowers are lavender.
‘Carolina Sweetheart’
‘Carolina Sweetheart’ is a twist of hot pink, white, and green among dense waving hearts. Pink spring flowers give way to purple-blushed leaves that turn hot pink, green with white margins, and eventually true green in the summer.
‘Carolina Sweetheart’ is a colorful collaboration between N.C. State and Star Roses and Plants. For best performance, grow these in organically rich, well-drained soils.
‘Flame Thrower’
‘Flame Thrower’ casts hues in red, orange, burgundy, and chartreuse to set the display a’glow. Large leaves first appear in burnished red, bronze, and fiery orange shades. Some mature to lime green, while others retain tones of red and purple.
This vivid cultivar, created by N.C. State University, crosses the weeping ‘Ruby Falls’ and gold ‘The Rising Sun.’ The dynamic mix of foliar colors persists as new growth emerges among the old. Color is most vibrant until hot summer temperatures in late July.
Stems arch gracefully downward among a spreading canopy, but the tree is not a weeping type. As summer progresses, the bright tonal foliage becomes mellow gold and apricot.
‘Alba’
‘Alba’ is a pretty white-blooming redbud cultivar. In April, pure white blossoms line stems for an elegant, crisp floral spray.
In other attributes, ‘Alba’ resembles the straight species. Leaves are dusky green post-flowering.
‘Royal White’ is a compact, floriferous variety of C. canadensis f. alba that blooms earlier with larger flowers. This 1940s selection popped up as a seedling from a native tree in Bluffs, Illinois. The smaller tree reaches 15 to 25 feet tall.
‘Texas White’ is a drought-tolerant variety with milky white flowers and thick, shiny leaves with ruffled margins. Discovered as a chance seedling by Germany Nurseries out of Fort Worth in the 1960s, this one tolerates more alkaline soils and performs well across warm climates.
‘Ace of Hearts’
‘Ace of Hearts’ has stacked leaves in a domed canopy of zig-zagging branches. A more compact version of the straight species, ‘Ace’ shows gleaming, glossy foliage with lighter new growth aging to gray-green. The dimensional and symmetrical arrangement brings visual interest in texture and contrast.
‘Ace of Hearts’ grows as a small tree or large shrub. The two to three-inch leaves are smaller than other selections and turn yellow-gold in fall. This sterile variety rarely produces long, leguminous seed pods.
‘Merlot’
‘Merlot’ improved with age as a second-generation hybrid between ‘Texas White’ and ‘Forest Pansy.’ Leaves in dark purple shades mature to deep wine and finally olive green by mid-summer. The glossy leaves turn autumnal shades of yellow.
‘Merlot’ has dense branching, a compact form, and a semi-upright habit. Unless pruned, the vase-shaped canopy begins close to the ground on the main trunk.
A partnership between N.C. State’s Horticulture Department and J.C. Raulston Arboretum aimed to produce a smaller-leaved purple redbud with a more upright habit. ‘Merlot’ tolerates heat and drought better than other selections.
‘Hearts of Gold’
‘Hearts of Gold’ has spring leaves that emerge red and orange and become pure gold. As the season progresses, the leaves mellow to chartreuse and pale green.
‘Hearts of Gold’ is a fast grower, reaching ten feet in the first five years. It blooms on first-year wood, while other varieties can take two to three years to set buds on old growth.
The thick leaves resist sun scorch, even in hot climates. The trees seldom produce seed pods.
‘Western’
Western redbuds occur naturally in the mountains and foothills of California. Deep magenta blossoms line stems before three-inch blue-green leaves emerge. A white (alba) selection occurs among the species with creamy white flowers.
Western species grow as single or multitrunked trees with a broad, stout habit. Waterwise plants in northern, wetter regions need little supplemental irrigation. They grow best along streambanks in the West’s southern, dryer areas.
‘Silver Cloud’
‘Silver Cloud’ features light reddish-violet blossoms that give way to unique, variegated leaves with blotches of white among mint-green. While irregular, large brush strokes of creamy white are attractive among the rich green.
Leaves have deeper variegation in partial shade. In cold weather, they take on a red blush. They tend to revert to green; prune reversions to retain variegation.
‘Silver Cloud’s’ stature and attributes are similar to the straight species, with slightly smaller leaves and less vigorous flowering. Yellow fall color extends seasonal interest.
‘Don Egolf’
‘Don Egolf’ is a Chinese variety with larger flowers and glossier leaves than the American species. Chinese redbuds grow naturally in woodlands of central and southern China. They may have less showy fall color and less cold hardiness than Eastern redbuds, with longer seed pods, but often appear similar.
Introduced by the U.S. National Arboretum, ‘Don Egolf’ has a compact, multistemmed, shrubby habit. The sterile variety doesn’t produce seed pods. Pinky red flowers cover the branches in profusion.
This cultivar is resistant to canker, a common disease among the genus. Keep soils evenly moist for best growth. Provide partial shade in hot climates.
‘Golden Falls’
‘Golden Falls’ is a column of draping gold and lime foliage. A cross between the weeping ‘Covey’ and gold-leaved ‘Hearts of Gold,’ this variety combines the weeping habit with bold color.
Light lavender flowers grace the pendulous stems in a stream of color. The sunny leaves appear fresh and bright goldy-green until the hot temperatures of late summer set in.
For a dramatic container or specimen, stake the central leader to train it right. Pendant branches naturally arch downwards.
‘Columbus’
This variety selected near Columbus in south-central Wisconsin is cold hardy among the species. ‘Columbus’ or ‘Columbus Strain’ is good seed stock for other selections and grows well in the lower zones.
While still susceptible to winter damage, particularly as young plants, the resilient strain often bounces back to become hardy, mature trees.
‘Columbus’ is full of blooms with a slightly pendulous habit. If you’re in Columbus during flowering season, catch the local redbud festival to celebrate the spring floral display.
‘Pink Pom Poms’
‘Pink pom poms’ cheers on spring with double flowers in shades of rich pink. The full pom poms burst from stems like decorations.
An N.C. State introduction from seeds out of Belvidere, Tennessee, ‘Pink pom poms’ may be a cross between ‘Flame’ and ‘Oklahoma.’ Thick, leathery green foliage has red tinges on glossy new growth.
‘Judas Tree’
Native to the Mediterranean region, Judas tree resembles Eastern redbuds but with larger flowers. Leaves are rounded rather than pointed in their heart-shape, beginning bronzey-red and aging to dark green.
Flowers are deep purple pink. Seed pods are distinctive flat, purple pods that persist into winter. Mediterranean redbuds grow across arid climates with dry summers and cool, wet winters.
‘Avondale’
‘Avondale’ is one of the most floriferous of the genus. This Chinese redbud has a blanket of tufted blooms in pinky-violet on sturdy branches.
From New Zealand, this small specimen fits into versatile planting arrangements and pots. Light orange and pink blush the surface of fresh foliage. Plants are vase-shaped with upright, spreading stems.
‘Vanilla Twist’
A loosely weeping redbud with creamy white blossoms, ‘Vanilla Twist’ brings all season interest even when bare in winter. Pendulous branches carry loads of the fresh white clusters that emerge from buttery yellow buds.
Light green leaves replace the flowers and remain fresh and bright throughout the growing season. A hybrid of ‘Lavender Twist’ and ‘Royal White,’ ‘Vanilla Twist’ incorporates the finest features of both.
‘ZigZag’
Embracing wild geometry, ‘ZigZag’ displays symmetrical angular branching that literally zig and zags among bright green foliage. The parent plant of ‘Seirb’ was a chance discovery in a Virginia field.
Magenta buds line stems and open to rich fuschia. The lime and chartreuse foliage turns shades of orange and gold in autumn. This unusual grower showcases the utmost in distinctive form, flowering, and foliage.
