Hello, I have 2 spots next to my deck that I need to plant 2 trees (not be more than 20 feet tall in 5 years). It is very protected spot, dry and gets a fair amount of sun, but not full sun. Neither can get wider than 10 feet within 5 years (ok if can be pruned). Any ideas for something nice? I would like them to look compatible and to be somewhat showy with flowers or something special. Thanks!
Cercis chinensis. I love redbuds. Also, Forest Pansy redbud seems to stay short and would like somewhere a little bit warmer than my USDA Zone 5 home. It has burgundy-colored leaves and, of course, pink flowers. Here is seems to die back in the harsher winters. About C. chinenesis, from Oregon State Univ. (http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/cech.htm): # Deciduous shrub, multistemmed, 10 ft (3 m) tall in cultivation (to 50 ft in its native habitat), densely branched, upright habit. Leaves alternate, simple, 5 × 12 cm, glossy, leathery, base deeply heart-shaped (cordate), margin textured (transparent line around the edge). (Leaves similar to those of C. canadensis.) Flowers small (1.5-2 cm), lavender to crimson, bloom in spring before leaves appear. Fruit pod-like, about 9 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide. # Sun to part shade. Adaptable to many soil types, but avoid poorly drained areas. Reportedly spectacular in bloom in the high deserts of southwestern U.S. # Hardy to USDA Zone 6. (Less hardy than C. canadensis.) Native to central China. # A few selections: * ‘Avondale’ - has deep purple flowers and dark green leaves, popular. (I have seen this one and it is beautiful?) * ‘Alba’ - has white flowers * ‘Don Egolf’ - is a new release (2001) from the U.S. National Arboretum, a prolific producer of rose mauve flowers, but is fruitless, and hence not an invasive threat. (This sounds great, but of course it would set me on an investigation to find out who Don Egolf is/was)
