That's absolutely gorgeous, Schoolhouse! My redbud, Chinese Fringe, fruit trees and daffs are done blooming, it's going to be in the 80's here today, everything growing like mad.

What a beautiful setting.

What a stunning view!

How lovely! I was just thinking, Redbuds are fairy trees, mostly air at this point. Of course, around here few are planted as ornamentals. Most are volunteers on the edges of woods so they truly are thin and insubstantial.

Thank you all. chris, I really prefer them pruned up nicely with less limb and branch like yours in the wild. This one has gotten too tall for me to take the loppers to up inside, and I didn't do much shaping at all last year.

How about some more urban setting. I LOVE Redbuds.

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Oh, so stunning. I am getting Spring envy!!

Nancy.

I may need to add redbuds to my woodland setting. How do they do under pines and oaks? I bet I can find out without too much effort. Beautiful!

Martha

adamark - that's a nice tree! To try and answer docmon's question I went out and tried to snap some pics of my other redbuds. You can see they grow under pines or at least beside them and under my old apple tree, and up against a part of the tall privet.

Some more up front and along the field edge:
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This younger one among the privet in the orchard:
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A much younger one along the property line under the apple tree and among other shrubs along the fence between the neighbors and I (where I'm trying to create a screen):
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And one I planted two years ago in the orchard:
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Sorry for posting more, but I forgot this one that grew under the pines before the neighbor began cutting them (pines) all down. In fact several of the younger ones started out under pines also.

The three photos are all of the same tree - it is very tall and is the oldest tree, probably over 20yrs. Not to mention it was planted by me, by mistake on the neighbors property all those years ago. That's why it's on the other side of my fence. :(
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Those are all just beautiful!

I love them too.

I have a few big ones in the garden by the house that I planted, but there are dozens of smaller ones growing wild up in The Little Wood on the hill above.

I love their little heart-shaped leaves that come on after they bloom.

~Annie

Annie,some are already beginning to drop blossoms and leaf out. Surprised the heck out of me. Have you ever tried growing the white variety or the "Forest Pansy" variety? The latter is suppose to grow better in shade but they are expensive in the nurseries around here.

WOW!!! So pretty!!!

I like how the blooms grow right on the trunk too. I will take a picture of that tomorrow.

Christine,
No I haven't grown any of the other varieties of Redbuds.
I dug my trees up out on my Great-grandfathers old homestead. They were just tiny little things then.

But, they grow everywhere here! In fact, they are the state tree in Oklahoma, and for good reason!

Here are some pics I took several days ago. I was on my way to the nearby town to shop, and took these very early in the morning.

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~Annie

Just Beautiful!!!
I need to get another one. Those are so pretty.
I have seedlings come up near the downspout. ButI am not sure I will live long enough to see those bloom.:>)

30 years ago my DH asked me to plant one for him. He had driven home from a job in another state. He was never a plant person but he really liked redbuds.

The area in the pictures I posted above was devastated by wildfire last year. That's why all the trees are so small. I was told that I should probably evacuate, but it burned due north, east of me about 2 miles, so I stayed put. The highway east was closed off for two days while it roared northward. I took those pictures to show the Redbuds in bloom and how it has begun to recover now that we are getting a lot of rain. My county is no longer in the designated drought area within the state. Yeah!

That's is amazing, Annie. There is a small town not too far away that has Redbuds all along the road as you come into town. Someone planted them years ago on her property and there are trees of all ages. That is what inspired me to plant them. But I've never had any seedlings come up anywhere that I know of. I've seen the seed pods on the trees of course but no volunteer slips. Have you ever started any from seed?

Schoolhouse,

Yes, I have sown seeds, but not in pots. I crumbled up the seed pods and threw the works up in the woods where there is a lot of leaf-mold on the ground and it stays semi-shady and moist, but not soggy. They rot in soggy soil. They are everywhere up there now - from tiny 1/2 inch seedlings to 8 feet tall.
I just keep doing this every year.

There weren't any growing on the property when we bought it, and the nearest ones are two miles from here, so I am pretty certain they must be from my 'Johnny Appleseed' sowing of all those seeds from my trees in the garden.

Seed viability seems to be so-so. A good thing too, with all the seeds they produce!

I now have five big trees blooming in the garden from the original two I transplanted.

Doesn't cost a thing to try it!

Here's one of the trees in the North Garden with Forsythia

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A younger tree at the back of the North Garden with Spireas and Forsythia

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This little Redbud was planted by the Pear tree when it was just a foot tall. They look good together in the spring.

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I took lots of pics of these from different directions and angles, and each one looks like it could be of a different tree. They really add so much color and definition to the garden.

~Annie

A lovely landscape Annie. All your hard work sure paid off. I'm still working on my hedge row/screen along the property line. Wish it wasn't taking so long. With as many redbud as I have, I wonder why there aren't more seedlings? Maybe I don't recognize them and mow them off. You'd think some would appear along the field edge.

They are an understory tree, like Dogwoods - In the wild, the seeds sprout and grow under big trees or next to bushes where it is moist and protected, and at the edge of wooded places if there is moisture. The seedlings are very tiny with tiny, reddish leaves. Their stems at that point are about the size of a sewing needle and the leaves half the size of a small pinky finger nail. If there is grass, deep leaves or weeds, you wouldn't see them until they were a couple of years old.

I wonder if they are a type of seed that needs to go through a bird's digestive tract?
The reason I say that is they only come up at the end of the down spout.

Those redbuds are gorgeous!! Does anyone know if they can grow in S.Calif?? I know i could look it up,but you folks are so knowledgeable,that i thought it best to ask here.
TFS
Love them
Kathi

plantmaven, annie mentioned that they prefer moist situations so probably they're loving the end of the downspout area. And that makes sense as to why I don't see many seedlings because there are not that many big trees for them to grow under. The field edge wouldn't be ideal for the seeds.

Wow. Wow. I have to move.
Renee

Kathi,
If I remember correctly, their zones are 4-8 or maybe 4-9.
So...you might be able to grow them there.
You want some seeds to try? Let me know.

~Annie

schoolhouse,

EVERY TIME I open this topic I see your beautiful photo first thing, and I just love that view. You have such a beautiful place and home.

Thanks for always sharing it with us.
~Annie

mmmmm, I love redbuds. We grow cercis siliaquestrum (Judas Tree) in the UK and infrequently, the odd cercis canadensis such as Forest Pansy (or a more recent one, Lavender Twist. These trees have not really entered the UK small tree lexicon unlike amelanchiers, robinias and the many sorbus, malus, prunus, witch hazels and wintersweet. We more often see katsuras with the same lovely autumn colour and rounded leaves, and most rarely of all, the gorgeous disanthus. My little Forest Pansy was joyful until succumbing to verticillium wilt - along with cotinus, cercis is a tad susceptible to this. A whole vista had been planned around the cercis, a huge R.moyesii (for the heps) and perovskia, all approaching a decent maturity - still gnashing my teeth.

It seems everyone lives in the country with beautiful views of open field, woods, lakes, streams. Why did I have to buy in an old corn field surrounded by houses of people who don't plant anything. Oh, money! Oh well, it looks nice inside my yard, things are blooming. It looks like I need more blooming trees in the yard. I just got a fringe tree baby that will be wonderful in a few years and give me fragrant early summer enjoyment.

How beautiful all these photos are. What a great website.