RedBud Cercis canadensis

[the bonsai kid]

I have this eastern redbud seedling thats a friend gave me and its a 1-2 year seedling.I wondered if anyone knew how old these have to be to flower or do they flower as seedlings?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I have a 4-year old volunteer in the yard that flowers. Always wanted to see one as bonsai, hope you have some success!

 

[the bonsai kid]

Thanks Brian i love the flowers in early spring so i told a friend about it and this past spring she dug one from under a big one in her yard.She potted it up and said here you go ive read that the leaves dont reduce and they dont like there roots messed with but i like them so much i dont care ill give it a go.Ill post pics when and if it flowers

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I've moved several around the yard and haven't seen any indications their roots are touchy. If the leaves don't reduce, that's ok... They look horrible by July anyway, so the real challenge in my view would be getting the ramification so it looks great in the winter and early spring in bloom. Then they can sit right next to the wisteria, out of sight somewhere for the rest of the year!

 

[JudyB]

I have a group planting of these, as the seed themselves all over the yard. Mine haven't bloomed yet, as they're too young. It's not a very good planting, but the ground cover blooms in the spring with teensy white flowers. If I can get the redbuds to bloom at the same time - mmmmm. My sister has an older one, bunjin style, it had some blooms last year. I'm still trying to talk her out of that tree...

 

[tmmason10]

I have a group planting of these, as the seed themselves all over the yard. Mine haven't bloomed yet, as they're too young. It's not a very good planting, but the ground cover blooms in the spring with teensy white flowers. If I can get the redbuds to bloom at the same time - mmmmm. My sister has an older one, bunjin style, it had some blooms last year. I'm still trying to talk her out of that tree...

Interesting, do you have a pic of what it looks like with the blooming ground cover?

 

[Mic E]

I have potted several volunteer seedlings from an eastern redbud here in southern California. They do not seem to bloom until the trunks get about one inch diameter, maybe 4 years old.

I have found the roots very touchy, and about once a year an entire branch will die but the trees are otherwise healthy. Not sure what ultimate style will be good then with the branches dying, maybe a group.

Good luck.

 

[JudyB]

Interesting, do you have a pic of what it looks like with the blooming ground cover?

Nope, just looked just one with a blue jay sitting on it... I'll get one this spring.
I also have trouble loosing branches in the winter, but haven't noticed the roots being a problem, I just rip em out of the soil, and replant without much trauma.

 

[coh]

We have them growing all over our yard courtesy of seeds from the neighbors trees. Seems like the germination rate is close to 100%! The ones that I leave alone seem to start blooming when they get about 6-8 feet high (though the flowers are quite sporadic). I'm not sure how many years that is - we've been here 8 years so definitely less than that, but I think more than 4 years in our climate (probably sooner further south). So somewhere between 4-8 years.

Not sure how much that would be slowed down with pot culture. I've got one tree that I've started training for bonsai, it started growing under a fence and has a very distorted lower trunk. I grew it in a pot for a year, then re-planted in the ground on a tile last spring. I don't know if they're touchy about root work once they've been pot grown, but seedlings develop a pretty pronounced tap root - it can be tricky to move them once they've been in the ground for a few years.

Chris

 

[the bonsai kid]

Heres the pic of mine