In Phoenix they will probable ALWAYS need shade to have any chance at all. They are NOT drought tolerant, and will need LOTS of water in your environment, even more than further east with similar temps. Even then if you have much wind then they are at risk of leaf burn. They survive 100+ degrees routinely in the east, but their roots are not that hot, as they likely are being in pots there.

Regardless, when you plant, take them out of the pots. Do not leave them in the pot and cut the bottom out. Assuming they prosper, they would end up being constricted and dying from the remnant pot. Make sure the area you plan to plant can handle 3 trees of 20-25 feet tall and wide, if not, then don't plant them there r don't plant them all. Also can the fig tree handle the extra water you will need for these redbuds? Or anything else that would be getting the amount of water that would be required, and are you prepared to pay that never ending water bill? They will need to be watered even in "winter" as they don't tolerate their roots getting completely dry. As for age, they should be fine to plant at that size when the weather gets to fall like conditions and they shed their leaves due to cool weather. With that said, there are other redbuds from the east that would be much better candidates. Oklahoma redbud, and Texas redbuds comes to mind. They have thick waxy coated leaves, and do not grow as large, are much more drought resistant, but still look like the eastern redbud. It is unclear to me if these are in fact distinct but closely related species or not to the eastern redbud, but for our purposes it really doesn't matter. Just the same the western redbud would be the best choice for your environment.

See these websites for info.

http://bwaterwise.com/gardensoft/plant_description.aspx?PlantID=130

http://www.calfloranursery.com/pages_plants/pages_c/cerocc.html

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/calif/msg072038521301.html

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55753/

The pot is now sitting about 8 feet from the main trunk of the fig tree and the same distance from the peach tree. Is that too crowded? I think it will get plenty of shade. Our yard gets irrigated once a month in the winter and twice a month in the summer; I water in between. Right now I water the potted plants every 3 days. It was 116 degrees here today at 4 PM.

I checked with several nurseries here last spring and could not find a Texas redbud. I found one in CA but it was too big to haul in the airplane. I have ordered plants online before but I did not care for what they sent me.

I will see how far I get with these redbuds. Thank you very much for responding and for the advice.

With all due respect snooper, you're moving in quite the wrong direction...in terms of plant water requirements, and ultimate compatibility to survive long-term...in your VERY dry Arizona climate !

Eastern Redbud is extremely prone to canker up and down the exposed trunk below the lowest level of branches.
This is often brought on by a combination of either frost cracks and/or sun scald, especially to YOUNG trees with the smooth, un-aged, outer bark.

Apparently, the redbuds that find ways to avoid these problems long enough to develop enough somewhat deep 'furrowing' in the outer bark...manage to see a somewhat ripe old age. And it's not by any coincidence that many of these same successful Eastern tend to be the 'understory trees' of much larger FOREST SPECIMENS like mature oak, maple, ash, hickory, etc.

I don't imagine this scenario happening much...if at all...in Arizona.

Listed for all 24 western climate zones by Sunset Western Garden Book.

Thanks folks. I'll keep you posted.

I'd agree with the general advice given, but I do disagree about Eastern Redbud(Cercis canadensis) not being drought tolerant. It grows wild well into Central Kansas where many other Eastern species of tree don't make it out to because of heat and drought(average precipitation in this area is as low as 25"(6350mm) and summer highs can be as high as 115F(46.1°C)). It also grows in full sun and nearly full sun in this area. In fact in the beginnings of creeks and erosion channels in the upper 1/3(elevation) of hills in the largely treeless Flint Hills it is one of the tallest trees, forming in some parts somewhat of a canopy growing over the top of Chinquapin Oak(Quercus muhlenbergii) among others. So, it is quite drought and heat tolerant.

Although Phoenix, AZ is even hotter and drier than Central Kansas, at least for a much much longer period of time during the year. So, it would most likely do best in full shade and definitely need regular watering, but not excessively like many other Eastern trees would need in your climate.

There are other Redbud species which would look very similar and be even more heat and drought tolerant than Eastern Redbud. 'Oklahoma' and 'Texas' are both popular cultivars of Oklahoma Redbud(Cercis reniformis), which was first described from Southern Oklahoma's Arbuckle Mountains. It has a smaller thicker glossy leaf, with generally darker flowers(except the cultivar 'Texas' which has white flowers), and grows a bit smaller than Eastern Redbud.

Western Redbud, or California Redbud(C. occidentalis) is native to Arizona, even not too far from Phoenix. It grows all around the Grand Canyon also and I've seen it in full sun surrounded by baking hot exposed rock there(i.e. it was growing out in the open with no other plants around). It has smaller, duller, more blue-green, thicker leaves than Eastern Redbud and grows smaller with multiple trunks. It's leaves are also often notched at the tip giving them a kidney shape to them, but otherwise rounded at the tip and not pointed like Eastern Redbud. It should do well for you in Phoenix.

Lastly, Mexican Redbud(C. mexicana) is native from South Central and SW Texas(starting around San Antonio) down through much of Eastern Mexico. It's leaves are even smaller(1"-1.5"(2.5cm-3.8cm) long and wide) than C. reniformis with an undulating leaf edge and very thick and glossy even more so than Oklahoma Redbud. It's also very closely related to and probably should be lumped with Texas Redbud(C. texensis) which has slightly larger leaves, which are less glossy, and doesn't have an undulating leaf edge. Both will grow smaller than Eastern Redbud. Some also try to lump C. reniformis with C. texensis also(putting them all under the name of C. reniformis and calling them all "Texas Redbud").

Historical treatments of these different Redbuds have lumped most all into the same species or just mere varieties, but based on current information I think they are well justified as their own species. But, if a plant tag says something like Cercis canadensis reniformis or Cercis canadensis var. mexicana, etc. you can just delete the canadensis part to get to the scientific names I used.

Mexican Redbud, Western Redbud, and Oklahoma Redbud are all in the nursery trade, with Western Redbud being the most difficult to find, at least in my experiences(only found it offered in a couple of nurseries in California). Mexican Redbud is the next most difficult to find, but I've seen it at nurseries in Texas and Arizona. Sorry, but I can't remember which nursery in Arizona, but it was in Tempe or Scottsdale.

Wow, thanks Kman04, that's very encouraging. One nursery in CA advertised a western redbut but they don't
ship to AZ. I checked with 2 of the reputable nurseries here and they said check back next spring.....but, they're not sure they would have it.

So far so good, the redbuds under the fig tree look good. The other ones, in different locations. are smaller but look well also and do not exhibit any stress signs. One is really shaded under a bush. I can't wait until it gets cooler.

If you look at redbuds in the wild, including a very hot Kansas, you will find them growing only a matter of 2-3 feet from the trunk of a large tree that is producing the shade they need. They are understory trees that can be forced to grow in full sunlight if you meet all of their needs. Here in NJ they are planting them instead of dogwoods after road construction, etc.. I do notice that they seem to need more minerals planted that way, with many of them looking like they could use a good shot of Ironite, but only time will tell if this is a good stratagy. Wild born trees have smaller leaves that many of the more ornamental varieties, which is a plus regarding water loss. I do have both Texas and Oklahoma redbuds, and I prefer the Olkahoma redbud to the Texas redbud because of tree shape and beauty of leaf.

If you want the redbuds, and are committed to their care, they will thrive because you will give them what they need, irregardless of whether or not they could survive in the wild there. You could say the same about the people who live there. Would they live there if they could not have air conditioning in their houses and cars? Probably not, but they are committed to creating the environment they need, just like you will be committed to those trees. A tree that is loved and cherished can live almost anywhere.

Happy gardening!

Hi snooper. I am just curious as to how your redbud is doing after all these years. I am in Tucson and I have one in a pot that I got as a stick a little over a year ago. It is doing pretty well in that pot and I heard that they can stay in big pots and do just fine. Right now it is under a huge mesquite so it doesn't get a lot of direct sun but it does get plenty of filtered. I will have to eventually get it out from under there and not sure where it will go next but was wondering how yours is doing. Did you ever put it in the ground? I hope you can tell me how well it has done.

Original poster's last post was in 2012: https://www.houzz.com/activities/user/snooper_gw/comments

davidrt28 Yes. That is why I wanted to know how the trees were doing.

I know this is old, but I feel Mexican Redbud would be better for phoenix. It’s a subspecies of Eastern Redbud, but is much better adapted to hot and dry environments such as Arizona. It can also survive mild winter temperatures as it’s from more desert areas of Mexico.