Each year , just when we fear wintertime will never end , redbuds swell and eventually come out open creating a imperial fantasy . I think God give us redbud as a kind of “ Here ’s to you , Kid , ” for surviving another brown and gray Oklahoma winter .
IfFebruary is the fell month , then March is Little Miss Tricksy . One daytime , it ’s 80F , then back down into the 30s . What ’s a works to do ?
Go aboriginal , that ’s what , and gardener should play along their lead . Enjoy what nature has to proffer and wait until late April to plant those tomatoes , peppers , and eggplant at the local box shop .
About this time each spring , my email inbox also swells with questions aboutCercis canadensis . citizenry see that lavender against the Oklahoma blue sky , and they find they must have one or two for their yards . I mean , it ’s Oklahoma ’s state tree , right ? Everyone should own this man of Oklahoma .
hold off , just a moment and study on about redbud culture before plunking one down in your Bermuda grass yard . I do n’t want your heart broken by this modest and endearing Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
To get a veridical sense of what redbuds like , you should move around out to their aboriginal habitat where they bloom withPrunus gracilis , the Oklahoma sand plum . Both incline to raise along brook banks and roadway where the forest has been cleared , but they still keep some trees for jazz protection . Redbuds like sandy soil , so place one in clay is often a death time . They also need pee during drought so long as they have good drain .
Yes, it’s that red around here. Can you see the redbuds lining either side of the road?
I decide to get out to the countryside to see them this morning , and I brought pictures back for you as a bite of Oklahoma springtime .
Hybridizers and plant life natural selection specialists have discover your cry about have a Cercis canadensis , and they ’ve come up with some exceptional cultivars in the last few years . One I see all over town is the wonderful ‘ Forest Pansy ’ with its bright purplish blooms . In the countryside you ’ll see native Cercis canadensis in lavender and darker shade of purple sometimes planted next to one another . Against he dark barque of the oak Tree , they are quite a sight .
All of the redbud on my attribute are aborigine , that is . . . until now . I ricochet for a new innovation The Rising Sun ™ , and although it is n’t a large tree , I suppose it will settle in nicely . I did add a second of constitutive affair to the dirt when Helen Weis and I planted it , but I also place it on a slope for extra drainage . I noticed when searching for this tree diagram today that my friend Susan Cohan from Miss Rumphius Rules also fall for its magic spell . Shehas a good photo of the summer foliage coloring .
Check out that contrast against the blue sky. It’s no wonder people fall in love.
This mail about my favorite former fountain tree and its plummy comrade comes good manners of Clay and Limestone’sWildflower Wednesday . Check out Mr. Linky at the bottom of her post and see who else has wildflowers farm this March .
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On a neighbor’s property, these redbuds were thinned out of the Oklahoma scrub, and they are thriving.
These are on the road to my house. The sand plums make a nice understory to the redbuds.
I like to think they like people too because they often grow along our roads and near our rural homes.
The Rising Sun™ redbud
A closeup view of the foliage from The Rising Sun™ redbud. It deserves two photos I think.
