Can you post a picture? My gut reaction is that it isn't a redbud! Redbuds have faster growth than you describe and flower from a young age. A picture will solve that question.

Does it get enough sun? Redbuds probably want about 5 hours of sun to bloom.

I have that same tree. Let me guess, you got it free from Arbor Day Foundation. I think its a cultivar or a related species, because it does have the right leaves. It just doesn't get red buds. But now that the tree is larger, I can tell the bark isn't right either. I am cutting my down and getting a real one.

Someone gave me a redbud that was probably two years old and I transplanted it about two years ago and it has just bloomed for the first time. Maybe some really are "late bloomers". BTW, I have not had good luck with trees from Arbor Day. The trees I have gotten from quality commercial growers like Musser Forests and Ernst Conservation Seeds have tended to do much better.

Yes, my oldest son did get it free from school which they got from Arbor Day. I'll keep this one as my son thinks of it as his tree but I'll go to a local nursery and purchase a "real" Red Bud from there. Thanks for all of the helpful tips.

We bought our house in 2003. A small shoulder high redbud seedling (never transplanted) is now two feet higher and blooming. Two year seedlings I transplanted last year are not blooming yet at three feet tall. Someone told me it takes some years to get established before they bloom.

All my redbuds are in the shade of taller trees. They do not like to get dry

I would not pull them out, but give them time, which for trees means years.

The seedlings I am cultivating are well worth the wait because the trees in my yard look much nicer than nursery trees, with large heart shaped leaves and beautiful arched branches that touch the ground.

In my yard no seedling shorter than me has bloomed

A tree may need a certain root development before it starts to bloom. Someone on gardenweb mentioned that planting larger nursery grown trees may give a larger tree to start but they spend several years rebuilding root connections often with little growth above ground

Many of the nursery stock trees are root bound and need to have all of the soil removed and the roots teased out of the ball. You may need to cut some of the roots. You may find interesting the current method of planting where you remove the dirt down to the top root and plant that root just under the surface.

There is a Forrest Pansy redbud that I have fallen in love with. I have seen it with two different flower colors, white and normal. But after the bloom the leaves as the emerge are a wine edged color. The first on I saw, August, maintained the color but I have been told that this is not normal with most of this type. Also they are not as hardy as the normal ones.

The arbor day trees come as whips, so root bounding is not an issue.

The OP said the tree has been in the ground for seven years...assuming there is no neglect or disease, root development shouldn't be an issue. And I have seen plenty of redbuds under 5' blooming...they just aren't as showy because of their smaller stature. I think maybe joe put his finger on the culprit--a weird Arbor Day cultivar.

Any "redbud" I had in the ground for seven years had better be blooming its head off! Patience is one thing--no rewards for said patience and time/effort is another.

I have a Redbud Lavender Twist weeper, it just turned 3 and has really started spreading, wondered what is correct way to stake it? The branches are very wavy, just don't know how to support so they grow upwards, they are spreading on the ground like a grape vine.... Help would be appreciated!

For squiggly shrubs that I want to get upright, I drive a rebar into the ground, near the center of the shrub. (You can get a 6' or 8' reinforcing steel bar at almost any hardware store.) Drive it 2' to 4' into the ground. And then you can selectively tie the branches to it. The rebar should be practically invisible, unless you point it out to someone.

Thank You, joepyeweed I give it a try! Its growing like wid fire only 3 yrs old lol, it just started to take off this year, looks like a grape vine, must like my soil! Thanks Again.....

Too much water, too much fertilizer or too little light can cause flowering trees not to bloom. Also, trees planted from small bare-root trees need five or eight years to produce flowers.

Redbuds need pretty much full sun to bloom well, and usually 5-7 years of age to bloom, as do dogwoods and most other flowering trees. I have one in the woods in a shady area that got over 10' tall before it finally bloomed, as it was reaching for the sun. Now it is about 15' tall and blooms well. Others in my yard that get more sun have bloomed at about 6-8'. I've never planted any, they come up wild from seed and if they are in a good spot, I leave them. There are probably 20 or so now and they all finally bloomed, some sooner than others.

I have several redbuds from the Arbor Day Foundation. I have had them for probably 7 or 8 years. One finally developed some redbud blooms this spring. It is shaded for part of the day, but receives some direct sun. Others are in a more wooded area and have not yet bloomed. I bought a redbud that was blooming last year from Lowes. It isn't blooming this year, but I assume it may take a few years to get established. In Michigan, I see many wild redbuds blooming in wooded aresa, so I have been puzzled with mine. As far as other Arbor Day trees, I have many beautiful spruces in my yard and some in my neighbors that I started from the small seedlings. Thanks for all the interesting and thoughtful information.

Sharon

I have the same issue... I planted it thinking it was a redbud...but it has never bloomed...it's also more "bushy" with multiple trunks coming up from the ground... Any ideas? Can I post s picture on here or e-mail it to someone?

I met a lady who has several red buds in her backyard and they are magnificent she takes the seeds and repots them i bought 3 from her gave my mother one and kept to and they both within the last 2 years are doing so well and have grown so tall its amazing how fast this tree grows i did research on them because i didnt know to much about this tree etc. And found roots grow down not like most trees spread out underground ! I planted it in direct sunlight and in a area that gets plenty of water and its done fabulous,i actully haven't had to do to much as far a babysitting it .i live in ohio so the last 2 winters have been brutal and it hasnt had any problems from all the snow and cold temps weve had and winds she has survived some pretty harsh winters id say they are a pretty tuff tree !!

I havnt had a blooms yet but i cannot wait they are a beautiful tree when bloomed and they do have a beautiful heart shaped leaf ..

But i also cant wait to harvest my own from the seeds instead of buying the tree pregrown and potted to transplant you can do it all on your own, that is how i got these 2 i got and the lady started from the seed that dropped from her redbud and started and potted it and mine are doing great and i payed 75cents each for them. One of the best buys i could say and that 75 cents will last a lifetime!

They are beautiful when they bloom. Mine came down in a storm, unfortunately.

Nitrogen fertilizer (for grass) will cause flowering plants not to bloom.

Spread potash around the base.

My redbud bloomed on some of the branches, other branches their were no flowers. Should I use miracle grow through out the summer on the tree? Will this enhance more flowers for the following year?

I would not use Miracle Grow which is formulated more for annual flowers. I imagine that something killed the developing flowers on some branches, such as a frost as they were starting to swell.

I transplanted this tree last year and this is all I have this year it April 20 in April in Akron Ohio. Just a few flowers and leaves are starting to form

My cercis canadensis bloomed very sparsely on just the odd branch for the first 4 years or so. \Now, at 10 years, this has been the first spring where the blooms are visible down the length of the allotment as the entire tree is clothed in purple.

Curiously, mine is not a straightforward tale. It started as a Forest Pansy cultivar...appeared to suffer from a vascular wilt disease...and after 3 years, the purple top growth vanished as what I assume must be the rootstock took precedence...and now the entire tree is a basic green leaved cercis...but has outlived verticillium and has finally flowered profusely. I am a believer in patience and optimism.

I have the opposite problem. My tree bloomed really well (It's probably close to 8 years old) for the first time - last year it bloomed but not that much - but after the blooms disappeared not many leaves came out. What in the world??? Any guess as to what's going on? I just removed loads of weeds in the area where it grows. Maybe it was starved for nutrients?

A bird plant my Redbud tree, Is 5' tall already, but no flowers. Is in a nice place, full Sun and beautiful heart shape leaves

My Oklahoma Redbud bloomed like crazy this year. She’s about 5yrs I would suspect.

Now, my Rising Sun is opposite. It’s never bloomed. I read that there are male and female, which I suspect also might be the culprit of the Rising Sun...but, patience will continue. It came to me via online, UPS broke off the main stem, I planted it anyway as there no more for that year available. Unless that maybe holding him back from blooming?

My Forest Pansy is 6’ tall. He has been in my yard 2 years. Has bloomed the first 2years!! This year nothing! My heart is aching. I’ve started my yard in fall of 2020. Planted over 200 trees & scrubs. Redbuds are my favorite. Last year I added 2 more 7footers!!! They are very pretty & bloomed & now both of them & 1 from my original plantings in 2020 are full of beautiful burgundy leaves. But just this 1 tree is just setting there. His base has limbs that have come up out of the ground & they are leaves out!! But the tree is just there. It looks very dead! Could it of died? Did I do something wrong? My front yard is almost 4acres, I work sooo hard to keep everything alive & growing great. What’s wrong with my tree?

Bonnie, Where are you? Did you have unexpected cold spells?

It could be the buds were frozen, it could be taking a year off of blooming to grow a bit more, or if you are on the border for hardiness, Forest Pansy might not be quite hardy enough since it is not the hardiest of cultivars.

Be patient until at least July. See if it leafs out.