Tried a couple of the western redbuds once upon a time - my ex fell in love with them on a drive down to the Bay area one May. One succumbed to verticillium wilt within the year; the second one struggled for a couple of years longer then finally gave up. I've been in the nursery biz here for the past 20 years or so and western redbuds have never been very common.....in fact I can't think of more than a couple of times I have ever seen them available locally. If I'd have to pick a redbud for this area, I'd go with Cercis chinensis 'Avondale' - for the most part, Asian species seem to do quite well in our mild, damp climate.

I'd say not enough sun. I had a similar experience with several of my clematis. Ramona really likes her sun. This one gets full sun all day, I never fertilize or water - it's mulched heavily and never disappoints.

I've been watching your post for a while, and since no one else has responded yet, guess I'll just try and help get it going. I have only a small collection so far, so I hesitated to post a response. But even from among the nine varieties I've got it's hard to pick a favorite. I decided to grow heaths and heathers primarily for the foliage. I was thinking I might simulate some of the colors of the expanses of blueberry bogs we have in Pennsylvania. Blueberries are not ericaceous, I know, but there are native heaths and heathers that grow in masses along with the blueberries in these bogs and produce spectacular fields of color, especially in fall. I have also visited the Southern Cape Penninsula in South Africa several times to admire the heaths native to that area. Again, the colors of these plants - glowing and subtle at the same time - are part of what got me interested in heaths. The way that heath and heather foliage catches and reflects light at different times of day and in different seasons is amazing to me. Sorry to have gone off topic. Anyway, my favorites from my collection are Erica carnea "Bell's Extra Special" for its whiskey-colored foliage flecked orange and gold in winter. It has reddish purple flowers, and spring growth is bright green. My favorite Calluna vulgaris is "Nana" with very dark green foliage and lavender flowers. Both of these are dwarfs, reaching only 6" tall, but "Nana" is especially diminutive-looking owing to its very tiny, exquisite foliage. Even if I could boast a large collection, I would still be limited in my direct experience with growing these plants, as there are so many varieties. I wonder if people find it difficult to identify favorites just for that reason? In any case, I would like to hear what others' favorites are, too. Interesting post. Thanks, cranebill

"it is definitely a spring bloomer-I checked my tag. Its the red bloom variety" What else does the tag say? Sure it's a native and not an intermedia? Diane or Jalena? They should be much showier than the native which should be expected to be beautiful but understated. Try to check out some vernalis in situ to really appreciate what the native form is like. The native vernalis has a red form I know of called "amathyst". They are very pretty but unassuming. Blooms are very red/purple. Most witchhazel blloms appear more profuse on hotter, sunnier days and sort of retract at night and on cold, overcast days. You've had it just one season and moved it. Maybe give it more time and it will grow on you?