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California Gardening

Western Redbud in S. California

16 years ago

Hello,

My landscape architect came up with using a Western Redbud in our coastal Southern Ca garden. It will get full sun however it will not get freezing temperatures. I've read that the flowers will not be profuse. Will there be any? Does anyone have experience with this tree in a similar climate?

Thanks, Tara

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Comments (5)

tantongiorgi
Original Author
16 years ago
Sorry...I just read the previous post regarding this tree in Torrance...I'm in Torrance!
I'm going to plant one too!
iris_gal
16 years ago
I don't have my Sunset Garden Book available or I would definately consult it for you.

I'm now in Sunset zone 15-16 (USDA 9 - cooler than yours) and I was eager to see Western Redbuds (Cercis occidentalis). Disappointing. They are not particularly showy - rather skimpy looking.

I would much prefer a flowering crabapple for a small tree.

A google search on "western redbud" will confirm your suspicions.
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A redbud that is only 3-4 years old is probably not old enough to bloom. Under shady conditions, I'm thinking it would take even longer. And then there's imperfect drainage. I think patience is the answer here. Joe
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The western redbud (Cercis occidentalis) is a large shrub, small multi-tree (with pruning) and is a good (easy) plant for us. Spectacular in bloom, okay in leaf, not great for fall color. Texas redbud (Cercis canadensis texensis) and Oklahoma redbud (Cercis reniformis or C. canadensis reniformis) are okay for some areas of California. I've seen them looking good where the soils are deep and the water quality good. Elsehwre, they slowly fade away. Eastern redbud (Cercis canadesnsis) does very poorly for us except for it's cultivar Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' which seems to do VERY well for us (in shade only). Some theorize that Forest Pansy is some kind of hybrid. Two other Cercis worth mentioning: Cercis mexicana (or Cercis canadensis mexicana). MEXICAN REDBUD shows lots of promise for southern California gardeners. Best yet... Cercis siliquastrum (Judas' Tree) beats all of the above. It's easy, spectacular, and extraordinarily drought tolerant. It's grown by at least two wholesalers in California. One of them, San Marcos Growers, probably sells to your area. Ask retailers in your area if they buy from SMG. Joe
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I'm in sunset zone 24 in southern california, 2 miles from the beach. I've had a western redbud in the ground for at least a decade, if not longer. I wondered why every spring mine never bloomed profusely like it was blooming when we bought it from the inland nursery. Found out several years later they tend not to bloom much in locations close to the ocean because the coastal weather moderates the temperatures so much, and they seem to like the extremes of weather farther inland in order to thrive. This seems to be the case. A few years back when we had a colder than normal winter, it bloomed the best it ever has the following spring. I see Sunnyvale is also close to the ocean, so if blooming is important to you (the hummingbirds love it when it blooms) as a native tree, you might want to consider something else. As far as leaves are concerned, it should be fine. Don't overwater! You will probably have trunks come up from the base. I know on another garden forum, some people consider them pests or weeds. I think it's a lovely, small, multi-trunk native tree, as long as if you're on the coast, you don't expect it to bloom much.
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lindasewandsew
16 years ago
Hi, I'm inland near Pomona and have had a Western Redbud for 5 or 6 years. It's done very well, although my zone is a little different than yours. It resembles a silver dollar eucalyptus. It does put on a nice show of pinkish red flowers before it leafs out every year (sorry, I haven't taken any pics of the flowers). It gets no water except rain and stays nice and green, even this year with almost no rain. When our pool is demolished the first week of November, we'll probably plant a few more of them. Hope that helps. Linda
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tressa
16 years ago
You know, it really doesn't make much of a tree. It likes to have multiple trunks. I have several.....one of which is in the shade. It grew to about 10-12 feet. The blossoms are quite showy and the leaves are a deep green and very large in comparison to those in full sun. My trees are in Tustin and Temecula....two very different climates.
tantongiorgi
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you for sharing your experience. And the photos were really nice to see. It will be a patio tree so I think it will work. I'm not sure if I'll get showy flowers but at the beach in LA that is difficult to come by.
Thanks again, Tara

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