Eastern redbud has a hard time in the Western US
Question: I am sending you some pictures of my Eastern redbud tree. It has some problems, and I want to know how to correct these.
The redbud problem is pretty common with the Eastern type, our soils and climate. Western redbud is a bit more tolerant than the Eastern redbud of our conditions and would be a preferred tree for the Western United States.
Western redbud may not be easy to find in the nurseries, but it is worth a look. Another tree that might be a better selection for you would be the Mexican redbud, which looks very similar and would give you the same impact as the Eastern redbud.
The problem you are seeing on the leaves, scorching and discoloration, will always be a problem with this tree in this climate and soils. Eastern redbud is an understory tree in the eastern United States, which means it does not handle full sun very well even in the cooler parts of the country.
I would encourage you to look for the Mexican redbud if this is going into a desert or rock type landscape.
Bob Morris is a professor emeritus in horticulture with the University of Nevada and can be reached at extremehort@aol.com. Visit his blog at
xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com. For more advice, see the Home section of Thursday’s Las Vegas Review-Journal.