Redbud

I'd had Redbud for about eight months with acceptable but unremarkable results. Then I started really paying attention to watering deeply and regularly in the first two growing seasons and the difference over the next two months was dramatic. exceptional seasonal spectacle from blossom through autu…

I brought Redbud home six months ago with high hopes and almost no knowledge. The first challenge was understanding watering deeply and regularly in the first two growing seasons — something I hadn't expected to matter so much. Once I got that right, the whole thing settled down. I grow it in a wil…

My first attempt at Redbud failed — scale insects or aphids in the canopy attracting sooty mould got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again. The second attempt, with proper attention to watering deeply and regularly i…

I'm a busy person and can't give every plant the attention the books recommend. Here's what I've learned about the minimum viable care for Redbud. staking correctly with a low stake to allow the trunk to flex and strengthen is genuinely non-negotiable — skip this and the plant declines noticeably. …

I had a serious problem with scale insects or aphids in the canopy attracting sooty mould on my Redbud earlier this year. Caught it late and had to work hard to bring the plant back. The experience was frustrating but educational. Now that it's healthy again I can fully appreciate canopy habitat fo…

As a complete beginner I was nervous about starting with Redbud. It turned out to be more forgiving than I expected, as long as I paid attention to staking correctly with a low stake to allow the trunk to flex and strengthen. I grow mine in a wildlife garden with native species which is working rea…

I planted Redbud at entirely the wrong point in the growing calendar and spent the first few months wondering what I'd done wrong. verticillium wilt causing branch dieback on susceptible species didn't help matters. Once I understood watering deeply and regularly in the first two growing seasons thi…

Here are my notes from twelve months of growing Redbud: Spring: autumn colour and fruit or berry display. This was the moment that confirmed the whole venture. I focused on staking correctly with a low stake to allow the trunk to flex and strengthen during this period which set up the rest of the y…

I nearly gave up on Redbud after three months of mediocre results. Then I focused properly on watering deeply and regularly in the first two growing seasons and within a few weeks the difference was dramatic. It now lives in a boundary or avenue planting in a larger space and has genuinely transfor…