Purple Rain Redbud

If you are looking for a unique purple weeping redbud that stands out from Ruby Falls then Purple Rain is an excellent choice. Not as widely distributed as Ruby Falls, Purple Rain is a rare and more difficult to find selection. What sets it apart are the leaves and the weeping habit. The leaves have varying degrees and shades of purples and greens, while the underside of the leaves is more of a bright purple. The weeping habit of this redbud is out and down rather than straight down. This allows Purple Rain to take on a more umbrella like shape that Ruby Falls struggles to achieve.

Purple Rain is a purple redbud that will maintain purple/red leaves through the growing season. Like other purple redbuds, the depth of color depends on the amount of sun that the leaves receive. In full sun the leaves will transition to a deep green with brighter green veins. Like all redbud trees, the Purple Rain has captivating heart shaped leaves and small bright purple flower clusters in the early spring. Redbuds are hearty and disease resistant trees, and can tolerate a wide range of soil and light conditions.

Using Weeping Redbud in the Landscape:

Think of weeping redbuds as the Swiss Army knife of small ornamental trees—they're phenomenally versatile. Their compact stature makes them naturals for:

• Specimen planting where their distinctive form commands attention
• Small garden spaces, patios, and entryways where a touch of the dramatic is desired but square footage is limited
• Understory planting beneath taller trees, mimicking their native woodland edge habitat
• Pollinator and cottage gardens where their spring flowers feed early-season bees
• Borders and naturalized areas
• Small groups for a truly breathtaking spring display
• Slopes and challenging areas where their moderate root systems can help with erosion and the weeping form can be showcased by the elevation change.

Wildlife Value:

For such small trees, weeping redbuds punch well above their weight class in ecological value. The early spring flowers provide critical nectar for pollinators emerging from winter dormancy, including the southeastern blueberry bee (Habropoda laboriosa)—a specialist pollinator that visits redbud before blueberries bloom and resembles a small bumble bee. Native bees and bumble bees work the flowers enthusiastically.

Redbuds serve as larval host plants for 12 species of Lepidoptera, most notably Henry's Elfin (Callophrys henrici)—a small, chocolatey-brown butterfly whose caterpillars feed on redbud flower buds and young leaves from February through May. This early-flying elfin depends on redbud in its inland and Appalachian populations, making your weeping redbud an investment in rare butterfly conservation.

The flowers themselves are edible for humans and taste similar to snap peas, containing high amounts of vitamin C. Leafcutter bees (Megachile species) use the foliage to construct their nests, creating those telltale circular notches in the leaves, don't fear the damage as it won't hurt an established tree and is a sign of a healthy pollinator ecosystem. Hummingbirds and butterflies also visit for nectar. 

General care for any tree or shrub is easy, but like any living thing will require your attention. Please educate yourself and follow these simple rules.

Redbud Trees

Redbuds are an amazing and varied species of tree. General care and soil requirements are the same, although light and temperature requirements will differ based on cultivar. We sell our redbuds bare-root, we've sold thousands of redbuds this way with few problems, but they will be lightly rooted when you get them. This means your number one priority should be getting the roots established. Do this by planting early in the spring (or fall if you are zone 7a or south) and caring for the tree appropriately with slow release fertilizer and proper water (a moisture meter works wonders).

Most problems with redbuds come from poor site selection. Tougher than a dogwood, a redbud is a hardy tree with few problems when sited properly. It will tolerate full sun or shade can withstand a bit of drought, but will struggle with disease and lack of growth in poor soil.

Site Selection

Redbuds do prefer some shade, afternoon shade is best as morning sun decreases problems with powdery mildew, but most cultivars will grow in full sun without issue. They will not tolerate a site with standing water and prefer well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Soil composition is less important with redbuds than compaction, which happens from heavy equipment, vehicle traffic, mower traffic or even lots of foot traffic. Compacted soil is hard and lacks the natural sponge like structure that redbuds need to grow. A good rule of thumb is that if grass is struggling in an area then redbuds will too. Speaking of grass, grass should be removed in a 2-3 ft. radius around the redbud. Wood mulch should be applied and must be applied to qualify for a refund. Rock leads to extra heating and is as likely to damage your tree as protect it. Finally, redbuds can grow in costal areas, but the salts near the ocean will cause growth issues. They should not be grown south of the Florida pan handle unless your micro-climate specifically sustains existing populations of the tree.

Powdery Mildew

Problems with powdery mildew can occur and if they do we recommend increased airflow and making sure your watering regiment does not wet the leaves. In very wet years or climates this problem can be unavoidable, but try pruning back some of the branches or your redbud to increase airflow. Early spring and after flowering are both suitable times to prune - following directions for proper tree pruning.

Redbud Leaf Roller Caterpillars

Leaf roller caterpillars are small and zebra striped. They will fold, roll, or paste leaves together with silk to create a home. Once again established trees should not be a problem (see below for weeping redbuds), pruning back some of the leaves can improve airflow and access to predators. If you continue to be bothered by them, we suggest stepping back 10 ft. and seeing if they are still a problem. If they are, we prefer the long term solution of creating habitat for predators, birds and tiny parasitic wasps (they don't sting) over the use of pesticides that do more harm than good. Once again eliminating some of the leaf density will give them less high quality real estate, while making them easier for predators to reach. Peeling apart stuck leaves before they receive too much damage is also helpful. We don’t recommend pesticides as these will struggle to reach the leaf rollers caterpillars, simply making them more accessible to predators and using the 10 ft. rule (view the trees from 10 feet away) are the best approaches to dealing with this important food source for birds.

Leaf Cutter Bees

We get a lot of questions about perfectly cut circles and semicircles in redbuds. These are fascinating in their own right, and you may think tiny ancient aliens visited your tree at night. This is the work of the leaf-cutter bee, which is an important native pollinator that uses redbud leaves to make its nests. Once again, living with nature and the 10 ft. rule is the best approach here.

Weeping Redbuds

Weeping redbuds are great trees for small spaces, use them in a home landscape for their unique appearance and beautiful qualities. They must be trained to a certain height, so if purchased below the intended size, stake them and tie them with vinyl tape periodically to help them reach the desired size. At 3-4 in height they make an interesting alternative to shrubs, at 6-7 feet they are gorgeous weeping trees.

Powdery mildew and redbud leaf rollers can be a bigger problem for weeping redbuds due to the leaves layering on top of one another that create a lack of airflow and deny access to predators. We recommend periodic pruning of your weeping redbud if you experience either of these issues. Think of it as a haircut and take your time pruning only a small amount and smaller branches if possible. Spring and summer after flowering are both good times to prune.