Best known for their vibrant pea-like flowers, Eastern Redbuds are popular spring flowering trees. Redbuds are native to the eastern half of the United States, excluding New England. These are the only trees to form flower clusters along their trunks as well as their branches. The showy flowers can actually be used in salads; for making pickling relish; and the inner bark of the branches creates a mustard yellow dye. You know it’s amazing to think that someone out there just decided to throw some Redbud flowers on their salad and thought it was pretty tasty ...
While there are quite a few different varieties, they all seem to have the same basic characteristics. The flower clusters appear in April before the leaves emerge and continue to bloom for about three to four weeks — that’s quite a blooming period! Pure white flowers dominate the White Eastern Redbud — that’s a shocker, huh? The original Eastern Redbud displays vibrant pink flowers, while the Forest Pansy Redbud shows dark lavender-pink blooms. Heart-shaped foliage covers the trees after blooms have faded. Leaves emerge as a bronze to medium green color but later turn to dark green — except for the Forest Pansy Redbud — that foliage emerges as a reddish-purple and slowly turns to a bronzy green in summer. All varieties turn a golden yellow in fall.
This small flowering tree is actually a member of the bean family, which would explain the pea-like flowers. Another characteristic is that the Redbud produces a green, pod shaped fruit in late spring. Like the flowers, they also grow in clusters and change to a beige color as the year progresses.
Redbuds can withstand lightly shaded areas, but the Forest Pansy would require more sun to maintain its reddish-purple foliage color. Redbuds love fertilizer — apply once a year during the fall months for about the first three or four years. And pruning is easy — be sure to remove any suckers that may develop and prune the canopy to whatever shape you wish. Redbuds are relatively insect and disease free and drought tolerant to boot!
Redbuds are very easy to grow and are hardy to Zone 5. They make excellent choices for foundation, specimen or group plantings around your home. You can even use them for naturalization or along wooded edges. The vase shape of this tree is perfect for any garden — big or small!
Partner Plants: Dwarf Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Viburnums
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