With trees and shrubs in general the root damage caused by bare-rooting produces a stunting effect resulting in less vigorous top growth the first spring and summer after the plants were dug. With red-bud specifically this is a one where complaints about failures are frequent. Including dying away of plants that have been in place for years.

hard to tell with the cold spring many of us have had ...

my redbud are just starting to bud.. bloom might be a week away .... if it doesnt get cold again ... regular redbud .. not the foo foo ones ...

on my 5 acres ... i have microclimates .... so just because you've seen others blooming.. doesnt necessary mean yours are dead ...

how big are your plants??

ken

The roots were hard, stiff and in an unnatural tight shape that I could not move without breaking. One plant was large, the other small. The large one came with dead black buds that just crumbled off yesterday. Thanks both of you for your input on this issue.

Maybe the larger of the two didn't come to you with enough live roots to make it.

The root system was huge, but stiff and pulled into a narrow unmovable wad...and had some greenish blue mold...not a good sign.

The little one has now begun to come to life! I'm going to let the larger Ruby Falls sit there and do it's thing- or not. Time will tell...and I'v read some bare root fruit trees did not break dormancy until July...so I have hope.

Photos below of the smaller Ruby Falls that has suddenly come back to life much later than others I have seen in our area.

Training a limb to grow taller as a lead.