🌸 Redbud Tree
Cercis canadensis
Tree
☀️ Sun
Full sun to partial shade (partial shade preferred in hot climates)
💧 Water
Low to moderate; drought-tolerant once established
🗺️ Zones
4–9
📏 Spacing
20–30 ft
📐 Height
20–30 ft
🧪 Soil pH
6.0–7.0
⏱️ Maturity
3–5 years to flowering
Key:🤝 Grows well together❌ Keep apart☀️ Sun needs💧 Water🗺️ Hardiness zone
🤝 Companions (8)
🤝 Dogwood
Good companion — Redbud Tree and Dogwood grow well together.
🤝 Oak
Good companion — Redbud Tree and Oak grow well together.
🤝 Pine
Good companion — Redbud Tree and Pine grow well together.
🤝 Elm
Good companion — Redbud Tree and Elm grow well together.
🤝 Wild Ginger
Good companion — Redbud Tree and Wild Ginger grow well together.
🤝 Virginia Bluebells
Good companion — Redbud Tree and Virginia Bluebells grow well together.
Good companion — Redbud Tree and Serviceberry grow well together.
🤝 Ferns
Good companion — Redbud Tree and Ferns grow well together.
⚠️ Keep Apart (3)
⚠️ Lawn grass
Keep apart — these plants do not grow well together.
⚠️ Compacted soils
Keep apart — these plants do not grow well together.
⚠️ Poorly drained sites
Keep apart — these plants do not grow well together.
📝 Growing Notes
Redbud is a beloved native understory tree that blooms prolifically before its leaves emerge in early spring, providing critical nectar to early-season queen bumblebees and other pollinators when little else is flowering. The magenta flowers are edible and make a colorful salad garnish. It grows naturally alongside dogwood, oak, and pine in its native woodland-edge habitat.