Got a new tree :-)

I didnt know where else to share this and I have to tell someone :-)... If all goes right I should be bringing home a new tree tomorrow - Cercis canadensis 'Rubyfalls'... Im so excited :-)

Oh and maybe there are going to be a few at the PAX plant sale at the NCSU JC Raulston Arboretumm(im not sure Im allowed to mention this, Im so sorry if its wrong to have said this), just in case anyone else wants to try to get one... its open tomorrow and Sunday. Figure its not nice to share my news without sharing the source.

I miss going to the sales at the Arboretum . Its one of the few things I miss about Raleigh.
I have found quite a few good places here at the coast for plants tho.

Lavina

I was working it this past weekend, as I am taking hort classes at NCSU - its been so much fun. What I was kinda tickled about on this tree was that it is one my professor's introduction :-)

My dad goes to the beach all the time and about 5 years ago I had him take me out to nurseries he knew of and I was amazed by the selection at some nurseries down that way, well really I just drooled over all the things that they carried that could grow down there that I just cant have here... drooling just thinking about it.

That is a neat looking tree. The Forrest Pansy does not do too well around here, it would be interesting to see how this one would do.

Humm, I could ask my professor what the heat trials were like... just have to remember to ask:-) I do know he was also working on crosses with the native texas redbud which is much more heat tolerant than our standard eastern redbud, Im not sure which cultivars have that parentage but thats what you need to look for. I will try to talk to him before lab one day and get his input on zone 9 tolerances.

Thanks, :-)

I spoke with my professor and he said the rubyfalls is not very heat tol, but Merlot has texensis in its heritage which makes it more heat tolerant. So my original thinking was correct... though he pointed out none tolerate salt very well :-(

Thank you for asking, I love getting the correct info on these new introductions. Things are a bit salty here so I guess that explains why the red leafed redbuds do not do very well.

??? I'm confused, Redbuds do well around here but now I have no idea which one is sold here. ??? Cercis canadensis is an eastern redbud correct? I guess they comes in different varieties. Learn something today apparently.

Generally the cultivars with red leaves like 'Forest Pansy' do not care for the excessive heat and humidity. The plain old green leaved ones ones do fine although they do not like the salt around my home.

Cercis canadensis is the eastern redbud but there are a few varieties (nature's cultivars) and many more cultivars (man made or propagated). One variety is the texensis - Cercis canadensis var. texensis and it is common as the name implies more toward texas, there are also other species too, such as Cercis chinensis which is a more branching tree with typically 'darker' flowers. Then the cultivars, such as the Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls' (the one I got). Im learning and have a feeling it will never end (and keep changing as they learn more).
**I think I got all that right ;-)

I share Ardesia's experience with Red Bud. Want it to grow here real bad, but it hasn't happened yet. I'm on the Stono River, so I suspect "salt air" may be a factor (but I'm way up-river, so I don't really see how salt could be a factor..). Got one that's made it through 5 years here, but it's limping badly, and has blossomed minimally if at all...
















'salt

You should try one with the full texensis background - or unfortunately maybe you just dont have the right conditions? As I learn more, I have more zone/soil envy... somethings just wont work in some place with out extreme care :-( Maybe the next thing i should tell my professor to work on is a salt tolerant redbud :-)