New cultivars add different colors, growth habits, and flower characteristics to Redbuds

One of my favorite flowering trees has always been the Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis. Native to much of Eastern and Central North America, from Canada through Mexico, redbud is one of the earliest trees to bloom in the spring. Despite its name, the flowers are more of a pinkish-purple color, slightly darker when closed in bud, and a bit lighter once fully open. Redbud is part of the legume family, so individual flowers are pea-shaped, and the long seed-pods that develop after bloom concludes resembles many types of beans and peas.

Despite its impressive blooms, redbud is not usually eye-catching after flowering is complete. The large heart-shaped leaves are interesting, but not something that necessarily stop you in your tracks. Redbuds prefer part shade and grow naturally in forest edges and under larger trees, so often they’re somewhat hidden later in the year by larger plants, and if they are grown in too much sun, the leaves may burn a bit around the edges.

Much plant breeding work has been done in recent years to improve the diversity of redbud cultivars, introducing plants with different leaf colors, growth habits, and flower characteristics. Much of that work has been done by NC State’s Dennis Werner, who is responsible for a great number of new introductions. Some of my favorites include ‘Golden Falls’, ‘Ruby Falls’, ‘Carolina Sweetheart’, ‘Flame Thrower’, and ‘Pink Pom Poms’.

Above left: ‘Golden Falls’ is a weeping cultivar of the redbud tree. When the central stem grows to a predetermined height, usually about 5-6 feet high, the lateral branches that emerge above that height have a naturally weeping habit, spilling downward almost parallel to the trunk. Photo: D. Werner, CC BY-NC 4.0 Above right:  Another redbud cultivar, 'Pink Pom Poms,'  has double flowers – twice the number of petals of a standard redbud flower, making it extra-striking.

Bottom left: ‘Flame Thrower’ more closely resembles the typical size and shape of a redbud tree, and has unique foliage color. It does not have a naturally weeping habit. Photo: D. Werner, CC BY-NC 4.0

Both ‘Golden Falls’ and ‘Ruby Falls’ are weeping redbud cultivars. Weeping cultivars are typically trained so that the central leader stem grows to a predetermined height, usually about 5-6 feet high, and then the lateral branches which emerge above that height have a naturally weeping habit, spilling downward almost parallel to the trunk. Mature height of each plant is 5-8 feet tall by 3-4 feet wide. ‘Golden Falls’ has brilliant chartreuse foliage, while ‘Ruby Falls’ has burgundy foliage reminiscent of one of its parents, the well-known cultivar ‘Forest Pansy.’

‘Carolina Sweetheart’, and ‘Flame Thrower’ more closely resemble the typical size and shape of a redbud tree, with both height and spread of about 15-30 feet; however, each has unique foliage color. The new leaves of ‘Carolina Sweetheart’ first appear purple each spring, but then change to varying shades and combinations of green, white, and pink, before finally turning solid green by mid-summer. ‘Flame Thrower’ similarly progresses from purple to red to bronze to chartreuse throughout the seasons, with leaves of each color present simultaneously on a single plant.

‘Pink Pom Poms’ is notable not for its foliage, but for its unique blossoms, though its leaves are distinctly smaller and glossier than most redbud types. Each flower is referred to as a double flower because it has twice the number of petals of a standard redbud flower. The impact of these double flowers when this plant is in bloom is extra-striking.

Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Infoline at 252-902-1705.