Did your wife like the regular redbud, with green leaves, or the 'Forest Pansy', with reddish-purple leaves? I have to say the latter is a head turner. Both flower in early spring, all along the branches, in a bright purple-red flower. There is a white form, 'Alba' and a redder form, 'Appalachian Red'. They all have good, early fall color.

I am assuming you don't want a large tree, so purple beech is out, but the weeping forms, both green and purple, stay small. Most weeping trees are spectacular - and many are small - so you could chose between mulberry, dwarf weeping willows, and flowering cherries in the deciduous group to a blue Atlas Cedar (VERY pricey) among others in the evergreens. There are others in the link below, but it's not all of them out there.

Here is a link that might be useful: weeping tree list

I just googled for Redbud and my visual memory tells me that the colors is similar to this {{gwi:378240}}

When you said "small", what is the height? We are looking for a max height of 25 ft. This way, it won't cover our house.

Ok, we continued searching and this one, our jaw dropped!!! We love the single trunk and how it's spreading the branches. Both of use drooled!!! Is that the reddish purple color you were refering to earlier or was it the first link I told you?

I can't wait most especially it would match our door and shutters!

{{gwi:378242}}

Ron, I THINK that's the redder one mentioned, but have only seen photos, so am not sure. It may also be a crab or flowering cherry, as they can look similar from a distance, when flowering.

If you bring up Google, click on Images (above the "name" field), and then type in what you want to see, you will get lots of photos, for the specific tree.

For redbuds, the probable max. height is 25-30', but that's maximum - more likely 20' or so. And that's after a good few years of growing.

While you are checking out Redbud colors, you might want to check the pic I posted of my Oklahoma Redbud on the Gallery.

Its what I'd call a dark, bright almost neon pink. Very striking.

I don't know how it might do in your area. You might want to do some checking on that part.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oklahoma Redbud pic

Here is good link

Here is a link that might be useful: Redbud info

That picture I posted above is a redbud given to me by images.google.com.

rcnaylor,

AWESOME Redbud!!! I love the colors. I'm going to check later if it can survive our winter. The picture I posted is also very nice! Don't know which to choose now. :)

Again, it's awesome!

I have a Forest Pansy Redbud in my front yard. I chose it because it was different and hard to get. I like the dark leaves and the fact that no one else had one (the next year, two of my neighbors planted red maples, but I think mine is most special!). The flower color hasn't been much so far, but it is small. It is later to leaf out than other trees- early May for me. The fall color is actually more green, so that strikes some people. I have dark red shutters and it looks very nice with them.

It has taken a lot more harsh wind than I expected when I planted it. In a couple of storms I thought it was going to snap over for sure, but it didn't; and of course, it survived our Michigan winters.

Regular redbuds are beautiful as well; there are so many older ones in my town and they are striking each spring. Either way, you will be happy, as will your neighbors with a view of it.

Ron, since you didn't label your image, I wasn't sure what it was. There's a flowering cherry in the middle of a field near me - it flowers about a week or so earlier than the redbuds, and I am always caught off guard by it. By now (6 years), I know, and can go "oh yeah, that's the early cherry", but initially, I would wonder why MY redbud wasn't even showing color. It's far enough away that flower differences aren't clear, and with no leaves... The rest of the year, it's just a blob in the distance - so I ignore it. I think, as it ages, the branch structure will become more obviously NOT a redbud..., and if it were a redbud, it would be a little less of a blob for the rest of the year....

I really don't want to rain on a good parade...but.....hardiness. I;ve heard some big debates on its hardiness in zone 5, where I live. Yes, I've seen them blooming in other zone 5 locations, but that was near buildings and more sheltered spots.

I bought one from a small nursery owner who promised...promised to replace it if it croaked during the winter. It lived the first winter. Last winter, the rough, cold, open, hot, frozen one did it in completely.

Exceptional winter yes, but all my other trees came through. I'd try again in a heartbeat.

Just be aware that it may be more susceptible to deep cold than you might be led to believe. Buy it, but get a more modest specimen so you won't be too upset if it dies. Also a smaller tree takes transplanting easier.

I hope you enjoy it.

I will think about and study it really very hard.

Thanks for the advice. :)

If there are redbuds growing in neighboring areas, that can say that they will be fine. Once you know what the leaves look like, since they are pretty unmistakable, esp. the Forest Pansy's color, as you and your wife drive around your area, keep your eyes open. If you see one, note where it is planted and the size. If a lot of them are fairly large and out in the open, then I think you needn't worry. If they are all well sheltered, then your desired location in front might not work.

If there is a nearby arboretum, or even an older college or university, private-house-turned-public garden, etc., that was planted more than 25 years ago, it SHOULD have a variety of trees that will DEFINITELY survive your winters. Going there and looking around might give you some ideas, as can asking the staff, who may have varying amounts of knowledge.... Asking the local County co-operative extension agent might give you an answer also - look in the phone book under county offices. If your county doesn't have an office, try the neighboring counties.

If it appears that hardiness is too much of an issue, which I don't think it is (I saw a large Forest Pansy planted outside the annex to the Wyeth Museum in coastal Maine (zone 5b) a few years ago. Most of the zone maps are being revised to reflect the warmer temperatures, so MAYBE it was actually a cool zone 6, but it was sure to be cold and windy in winter!), it may be the smoke tree (Cotinus coggyria), will do instead - it has large leaves, comes in green, red or purple-leaved forms, and flowers in the summer with big fluffy panicles (actually the seed heads, but they persist). The purple form is supposedly less hardy than the green, but... It would need to be pruned up to make a tree shape, as it is normally grown as a shrub - it can be pruned hard to keep it to a small size if wanted. It doesn't have quite the impact of the redbud, so I hope you can get one and keep it healthy!