PINK AND PURPLE TREE FULL

Birds and squirrels may feed on the seeds. Redbud nectar attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. They are fire-tolerant and will sprout back from the roots after a fire. In WNC, the trees are usually more numerous on south-facing slopes with more sunlight.

PINK AND PURPLE TREE FULL

The trees will tolerate full sun and both alkaline and acidic soils. In the wild, eastern redbud occurs as an understory tree, preferring moist, well-drained soil, but adaptable to a range of soil conditions, and hardy from USDA zones 4 to 9. The trees produce clusters of green seed pods that look similar to snow peas, but brown when mature.

After blooming, the heart-shaped leaves emerge and mature to a dark green, turning yellow to yellowish orange by fall. The pink to reddish-purple flowers emerge in early spring on old branches and trunks, before the leaves. The eastern redbud is a small deciduous tree-15 to 30 feet tall and 15 to 25 feet wide-native to North America, ranging as far north as Canada, south as Florida, and west to Texas. By late April or May, you’ll see larger purple flowers on the invasive Princess tree ( Paulownia tomentosa). What are those lovely trees? In March and April in Western North Carolina, these are most likely the native eastern redbud ( Cercis canadensis). Are you seeing signs of spring? After the bold yellow forsythia blooms, purple-flowering trees will soon brighten our yards and hillsides.

Pink and purple tree