Redbud

On the route I take to the downtown there is this really pretty tree at this time of the year. I wasn't sure what it was until a colleague pointed out a similar tree near Rockway Gardens. Apparently there is one at Rockway as well.

The Eastern Redbud or Cercis canadensis is borderline hardy in this area (Zone 5). It blooms near the end of April and is still in bloom today, May 20th. It can be really breathtaking and I'll attach a photo I took of one today. The flowers are described as a rosy pink in the texts that I read but they look almost like a light purple to me. The Cercis canadensis is shown in books as a single stem tree whereas the one that I saw was more like the Cercis chinensis which seems to be a multi-stemmed shrub.

The canadensis will grow to a height of about 20 to 30 feet with a spread of 25 to 35 feet. If you have the room for it, it is an incredible specimen plant well worth including in your garden. It adapts well to a number of soils and can even be grown from seed as a colleague has done.

Check it out.