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Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'

16 years ago

I planted a 'Forest Pansy'about a year ago. It seems to be doing well enough. I live near the beach in southern California and the tree is getting about a half day of sun. What concerns me is the leaves are shriveling up and drooping when the sun hits it and are full and lush in the coolness of evening or shade. This has been occurring essentially from the time it was planted. This can't be normal and I was wondering if it can be corrected. Thanks in advance for advice.

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Comments (6)

quirkyquercus
16 years ago
Totally normal. Next time site your trees according to their desired setting.
mamoo_z5
16 years ago
Normal for the Redbuds. It takes 2 years for a tree to settle in & get established. The tree likes it moist but not wet. Keep it watered to match your rain conditions & then don't worry it will be fine next spring.
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Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'
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Comments (11)
We have two that we planted in 2000 along our western property line in a bed that is raised above a seasonal ÂdryÂ creek bed. (man-made for the occasional really wet winters.) They get almost full day sun with a 6 ft. fence to the back of them, a 50ft. tall Western Red cedar to the south, a 60ft. Douglas fir to the north and open lawns to the east. Our soil is sandy/loam. In summer, they are watered via underground sprinkler system; each has a ÂbubblerÂ head near the trunk. They are approximately 15 ft. tall now and almost as wide. We bought them for their wonderful leaf color, but IÂm not as impressed with their fall color, which is rust red. But I will say that the fall color is certainly a nice contrast to the many gold/yellow colors of surrounding trees. I have seen pictures of the wonderful blossoms on these trees, but all my redbuds (besides the two Forest PansyÂs, I have three green CersisÂ and a Cersis Chinensis) only have fuchsia buds in spring that open into insignificant flowers. The leaf shape and color and the interesting tree shape (more rounded) more than make up for the lack of appealing flower and fall color. Enjoy! S.
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jean001
16 years ago
mamoo wrote:
"Keep it watered to match your rain conditions"

Ummm. Please note that you are in IN whereas the post comes from coastal CA -- the latter a region with dry summers.
richardcharles
Original Author
16 years ago
That's an interesting point.
The Sunset Western Garden Book says moderate to regular water and full sun to light shade. How do you match rain conditions and did I not spot its location appropriately?
sylviatexas1
16 years ago
I did the same thing, planted Forest Pansy where it gets full western sun, & it droops every summer & the beautiful dark color often fades to green in the sun/heat.

A couple of trees (1 pecan, 1 bald cypress, big shade trees) to the west & to the southwest of the Forest Pansy have grown big enough now to buffer it from our brutal sun.

If I were planting Forest Pansy today, I'd put it in an eastern or northeastern exposure, just northeast of a big tree.
madtripper
16 years ago
I have a standard species in almost full sun, and some in the area are in full sun. My FP gets some afternoon shade. Some at a local arboretum are under large trees and they do very well. I that naturally they don't usually grow in full sun. Instead they grow at forest edges.

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