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Cercis (Redbud) trees

Cercis or Redbuds are small trees / large shrubs noted for their attractive flowers and leaves.

  • Alley Cat

    Alley Cat cercis
    Alley Cat is a Redbud featuring dark pink flowers and colourful pink / green / white leaves.
    £95.00buy
    • Flower colour: Pink - dark
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Leaf colour: Pink-white-green variegated
    • Height after 10 years: 3m-5m / 10ft-16ft
    • Growth habit: Spreading / Flat-topped
    Cercis canadensis
  • Avondale

    Avondale cercis
    A compact Chinese Redbud, featuring an intense display of purple blossom, followed by large green leaves. Ideal for small spaces.
    £95.00buy
    • Flower colour: Purple
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Height after 10 years: 1.5m-2.5m / 5ft-8ft
    • Growth habit: Spreading / Flat-topped
    • Awards: RHS AGM (current)
    Cercis chinensis
  • Bodnant

    Bodnant is a particularly attractive form of Cercis siliquastrum, featuring masses of pink purple flowers in late spring.
    • Flower colour: Purple
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Height after 10 years: 1.5m-2.5m / 5ft-8ft
    • Growth habit: Spreading / Flat-topped
    • Awards: RHS AGM (current)
    Cercis siliquastrum
  • Carolina SweetheartTM

    One of the most colourful of the Redbuds, Carolina Sweetheart features a mass of variegated white / pink / green heart-shaped leaves.
    • Flower colour: Pink - dark
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Leaf colour: Pink-white-green variegated
    • Height after 10 years: 3m-5m / 10ft-16ft
    • Growth habit: Spreading / Flat-topped
    Cercis canadensis
  • Eternal Flame®

    Eternal Flame cercis
    Cercis Eternal Flame is named for its large red / orange leaves.
    • Flower colour: Pink - dark
    • Leaf colour: Yellow
    • Height after 10 years: 3m-5m / 10ft-16ft
    • Growth habit: Spreading / Flat-topped
    Cercis canadensis
  • Forest Pansy

    Forest Pansy cercis
    Forest Pansy is a deservedly popular small multi-stemmed tree, with purple flowers borne on bare branches followed by multi-coloured leaves.
    £95.00buy
    • Flower colour: Pink - dark
    • Flower colour: Crimson
    • Flower colour: Purple
    • Leaf colour: Bronze
    • Height after 10 years: 1.5m-2.5m / 5ft-8ft
    • Growth habit: Multi-stem
    • Growth habit: Spreading / Flat-topped
    • Awards: RHS AGM (current)
    Cercis canadensis
  • Golden Falls®

    A superb small columnar weeping Cercis, with small pink flowers and golden yellow / green leaves.
    £95.00buy
    • Flower colour: Pink
    • Leaf colour: Yellow-green
    • Height after 10 years: 1.5m-2.5m / 5ft-8ft
    • Growth habit: Columnar / Fastigiate
    • Growth habit: Weeping
    Cercis canadensis
  • Hearts of Gold®

    Hearts of Gold is a tree-like Cercis, covered in purple-red flowers in spring followed by yellow-green leaves.
    £95.00buy
    • Flower colour: Crimson
    • Flower colour: Purple
    • Flower colour: Mauve
    • Leaf colour: Yellow-green
    • Height after 10 years: 2.5m-3.5m / 8ft-12ft
    • Growth habit: Upright-spreading / Vase
    Cercis canadensis
  • Lavender Twist®

    Also known as Covey, this impressive weeping Cercis features pale purple blossom followed by dense lavender green leaves.
    • Flower colour: Mauve
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Height after 10 years: Up to 1.5m / 5ft
    • Growth habit: Weeping
    Cercis canadensis
  • Merlot

    Merlot is an upright spreading Cercis with purple blossom followed by wine-red leaves which turn green over the summer.
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Height after 10 years: 2.5m-3.5m / 8ft-12ft
    Cercis canadensis x texensis
  • Oklahoma

    A large Cercis with dark pink lilac blossom followed by large rich green foliage, turning yellow in autumn.
    £95.00buy
    • Flower colour: Pink - dark
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Height after 10 years: 5m-8m / 16ft-25ft
    • Growth habit: Upright-spreading / Vase
    Cercis canadensis var. texensis
  • Pink Pom Poms®

    While most Cercis feature single flowers, Pink Pom Pom has true double flowers, for a more intense blossom display.
    £95.00buy
    • Flower colour: Pink - dark
    • Flower colour: Mauve
    • Height after 10 years: 2.5m-3.5m / 8ft-12ft
    • Growth habit: Spreading / Flat-topped
    Cercis canadensis
  • Ruby Falls

    Ruby Falls cercis
    Ruby Falls is a popular weeping Cercis with large bronze leaves, which emerge after the light purple spring blossom.
    £95.00buy
    • Flower colour: Pink
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Height after 10 years: 1.5m-2.5m / 5ft-8ft
    • Growth habit: Weeping
    • Awards: RHS AGM (current)
    Cercis canadensis
  • Texas White

    An unusual Cercis featuring large white flowers, followed by green leaves which turn yellow in autumn.
    £95.00buy
    • Flower colour: White
    • Flower colour: Cream
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Height after 10 years: 3m-5m / 10ft-16ft
    • Growth habit: Multi-stem
    • Growth habit: Spreading / Flat-topped
    Cercis canadensis var. texensis
  • The Rising SunTM

    The Rising Sun cercis
    The Rising Sun is an attractive Cercis featuring lilac-coloured blossom followed by young orange-tinted yellow foliage.
    £95.00buy
    • Flower colour: Mauve
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Height after 10 years: 2.5m-3.5m / 8ft-12ft
    • Growth habit: Upright-spreading / Vase
    Cercis canadensis
  • Vanilla Twist®

    Vanilla Twist is an unusual compact weeping Cercis featuring snow-white blossom.
    £95.00buy
    • Flower colour: White
    • Flower colour: Mauve
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Height after 10 years: 1.5m-2.5m / 5ft-8ft
    • Growth habit: Weeping
    Cercis canadensis


How to choose Cercis (Redbud) trees

The genus Cercis, commonly known as Redbuds, are colourful attractive small shrub-like trees, usually with a spreading bushy habit.  Some varieties have a weeping / columnar habit, a prized quality. Some will become quite large attractive trees. Most varieties grow quite quickly, but do not like to be transplanted.

Cercis are grown for their mid-spring blossom and their very attractive large leaves. Some varieties have leaves a variegated appearance, mixing white and pink tints over green.  Varieties with bronze or burgundy coloured leaves are rarer. They often have strong autumn colours too.

The blossom invariably appears on bare branches, ahead of the foliage, in various shades of pink, mauve and purple. The blossom display is usually intense, lasting two-three weeks, and can rival that of ornamental cherries from a distance. The flowers are quite different however, more like those of the pea family.

The resulting seed pods also have a resemblance to the seed pods of broad beans or sugar-snap peas. Cercis get their name from these long seed pods - they dry out over the summer and supposedly look like a weaving shuttle - 'kerkis' in ancient Greek.

Most Cercis originate from North America but there are also species from China and Asia Minor.  The North American species Cercis canadensis is very popular in the southern and eastern states, and North Carolina State University has been particularly prominent in developing new varieties.  This species is also the state tree of Oklahoma.

All Cercis are generally heat and drought tolerant, and grow best in warm climates. However all the varieties we offer are suitable for the UK climate - although for best results here you should plant in well-drained soil in full sun. If you live in the wetter areas of the UK (Wales, north-west England, western Scotland) then the Chinese species are a better bet, as the American species prefer a dry climate.

Neutral or slightly acidic soils are best, but most varieties will tolerate chalk fairly well.

To encourage flowering and good leaf size you can lightly prune mature trees after they have flowered.