flowers.. or sexual maturity are a function of age ...

i have hundreds of seedlings all over the yard.. and i would not hesitate to guess.. that it takes 8 to 10 years for a seedling to bloom ...

even large transplants take time to grow the roots.. to get 'established' .. to be happy enough to bloom.. presuming they are even close to sexual maturity ...

you dont say how big your newer tree is.. nor when you planted it..

ken

The new redbud I planted has been in the ground about 4 or 5 years. It's the same height at the existing tree, about 9-10 feet tall, so I guess I assumed they were about the same age.

i simply suggest patience ....

i dont see how grafting will speed anything up ...

do you use lawn fert .. are they watered the same ... do they get the same sunlight ... its hard to make suggestions without more info

ken

One other possibility. If the new redbud is far southern seed source, then it's possible that the flower buds are being killed by your winter, while the leaf buds survive. We have an Oklahoma Redbud Zone 6 hardy. Except last winter I got to -25F one night. Result was almost no flowers in spring, but it leafed out normally.

Arktrees

The two trees are about 8 feet apart, on opposite sides of a gate. They get identical treatment, sun and shade, etc. Is there anything I can apply that might promote blooming?

I'll wait and see what this spring brings...

Can you take close up pictures of the buds on the tree so that we can see if flower buds are even present? If they are being cold killed, then not much you can do. Probable not much you can do if that's not the case either. But at least you would have a more definitive answer. BTW, how cold have you gotten the last couple winters?

Arktrees

canandensis is fully z5 hardy ...

mine took years ... as noted above

but if one of his is the southern variety... got me there

can you tell them apart when leafless????

ken

kevin47,
There is an exceptional authority on Cercis propagation named Harald Neubauer, he is a friend of mine and he is the undisputed Redbud King.
Check out the link on propagating Cercis, beware, this is a technique that requires experience, knowledge and technique. The location may be Tennessee but don't hold that against him, Harald is a professional, trained German nurseryman.

Here is a link that might be useful: American Nurseryman Article

kevin47,
Don't discount Sam's advice just because he's from Maryland. Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut. Tennessee probably has as many horticultural experts per square mile and per thousand people as any other state (surely, far more than Maryland). In fact, quite a few of the most successful wholesale plant growers in the country are located here in Tennessee. (-:

Ken,
Sorry I didn't answer sooner, been sick.

The flower buds do look different than the leaf buds for redbuds. The leaf buds are TINY, and easily missed, while the flower buds are kind of a small rice grain size and in clusters. So if the OP does have the later, but getting no flowers in spring, then something is happening to them, and province becomes a real possibility. Would probable have to rule most everything else out first though.

Arktrees

i would like to rule out he didnt get them from arbor day ... lol ...

ken