Among the small secondary trees, few, if any, bloom in as great profusion as the redbud.
The best-known species is Cercis canadensis, native from southwestern Ontario to New York, New Jersey, and Florida, and west to Texas, eastern Kansas, and Nebraska extending northward to north central Illinois.
It may grow to 30’ feet or more, but 15’ to 20’ feet is more common. It generally grows in masses which are wonderfully effective when in bloom and neat and attractive at all seasons of the year.
It often grows with several branching trunks and is even more beautifully trained this way, with its brandies almost sweeping the ground. There is also a white single and double pink form of this, though I consider the typical pink type the best.
The leaves, resembling the lilac, start about the same time as the bloom appears in mid-spring and turn to a good yellow in the fall.
Germination Of Redbud Seedlings
The seed pods, somewhat reminiscent of a pigmy locust, are freely produced if more than one tree is grown, but they seldom produce seed alone, though I have seen sparse seeding occur occasionally.
These germinate fairly well if sown in mid-spring outside or in a greenhouse earlier, and if boiling water is poured over the bony seeds, germination is much better and quicker.
A well-drained, not too-dry sandy loam suits them best, though they grow in all types of soil if not too wet.
It only pays to try to move fairly large seedlings if they have been replanted previously; small, finely-rooted seedlings will soon outgrow them. They will begin to bloom from seed in three to four years and, from then on, more and more freely.
If you live near or slightly beyond the limits of commercial peach growing, your stock must be of northern origin. I had a striking example of this year ago when I first got a good supply that I grew from northern Illinois seed.
Tennessee Stock
At the same time, I secured some stock from Tennessee, which was good stock, and it was all right until a record freeze was recorded after a dry, bare ground freeze-up.
The Tennessee stock froze back to near the ground, but the others, from northern seed, were not injured in the slightest and bloomed the following spring profusely.
The Tennessee stock suckered up from the roots, but they never recovered and had to be removed later. Cercis Chinensis is a lovely thing, growing to 50’ feet in height in China, its native home.
It is usually a large shrub in America and is reasonably hardy here in southern Ontario if planted in a sheltered location in well-drained soil. It will withstand brief below-zero temperatures if grown slowly and well-mulched each Fall with leaves.
Its flowers are larger and showier than cattadensis. There should be great possibilities if this sort were hybridized with that variety for, from many resultant seedlings, there would likely be some to have the beauty of its bloom and the hardiness of Canadensis. Possibly this has been done, but I have never heard of it.
Cercis racemose, from central China, is the most handsome but is easy north of New York City, even in sheltered positions. However, it can be grown as far north as British Columbia on the Pacific coast.
These last two, if well-grown, make unique and beautiful forced plants. In propagation, Chinensis can be grown from green cuttings, taken in late June when of the same hardness as you would take lilac cuttings.
50036 by C Wiedrich