i dont think timing was the issue with your problems ....

you move or plant trees in dormancy.. if you can .. and your RB was going into dormancy last sept ... so that was just about perfect ...

a lot of peeps had a lot of problems with the foo foo RBs ... so if it doesnt work out.. its might be the plants.. and not you ...

ken

Did you do plenty of deep watering until your ground froze? Deep watering during establishment is critical

That's the most common cause of failure- you have to ensure that you are watering deeply enough that it penetrates completely to root depth.

That said my species redbuds are blooming, my 'The Rising Sun' redbuds are blooming, my other varieties are in bloom- all except for my 'Forest Pansy.' I can see buds on it almost there but it is the latest to bloom this year of all of them. I am not remembering if it is this way every year but it's for sure happening now.

"Full sun location, exposed and can get a good amount of wind"

FYI mine requires a lot more water than my other varieties- keep a hose handy as it heats up this summer.

I'm in west MD, south of you, and redbuds, tho flower-buds have enlarged a bit, have not opened yet. And a young tree might not have flower-buds yet (and leaf emergence happens alittle later than blooms). So, be patient.

I like to think it's the tree and not me :)

There's definitely dieback, the ends of the twigs are brittle, but if I stare really close I can almost imagine a few of the lower buds are still maybe alive. I'm trying to be patient, but knowing most of the top is dead doesn't help.

We had a very wet fall last year. The tree never wilted and I watered a few times, but most of the fall too much water was more of a problem. I would look at the calendar and try and pick a day where it might be dry enough to mow the lawn, and the endless gray was getting depressing!

I don't think it's in a spot that's too wet, but you never know I guess...

Redbuds are variable in hardiness depending on provenance, and Forest Pansy isn't one of the hardiest varieties (Dirr notes that it is "less cold hardy than the species"). In more northern areas it's probably best to plant FP in the spring rather than the fall.

Thanks Dave, that's not really what I want to hear but it does make sense, the damage does seem like cold damage.

If it sprouts out and doesn't look too bad I may hope for recovery, but the risk of some day having a larger tree that freezes back doesn't really make me feel too positive about the planting.

I did see a really nice venus dogwood last weekend. It was about three times the price of the redbud, and I've only seen a few really young ones ever, but those flowers were awesome.

Sorry I never updated this...

Most of the top died back and all the ends of the branches died back, but eventually buds broke further down the trunk and it put on some growth. Kinda long, octopus branches but they were quite vigorous and I was glad the tree wasn't dead.

The early freeze, mild winter, and then super late freeze didn't seem to bother it a bit this winter/spring, so I'm hoping it will be hardy enough for our winters now that the roots are settled in.

The usual answer to the original question is ”when you have a shovel in your hands”

Glad to hear the good news. Redbuds are cute trees.

Kato I planted an Oklahoma redbud last year and was greatly disappointed with it's re-emergence this spring. Like yours, the top half of mine was dead. And it's still dead lol. But the bottom half is putting out great new growth, and it's like yours - long and kind of wild. I'm just bummed because I spent extra money to get the 4-5 foot tall tree as opposed to the 2-3 foot tree, and now I have a 2-3 foot tree!

I did call the nursery and they were very nice and all, but the bottom line is no refund, replacement or credit. They did tell me to take a small young branch near the top to make a new leader, and explained to me how to do that. I did, but I think I'm going to end up replacing the tree anyway. The only branch I could bend was about six inches long, and after two months it still looks about six inches long! And the tree is starting to sprout out near the soil, so it's looking more shrub-like. But maybe you can try to make a new leader on yours.

Mine is in a very visible spot. The redbud is supposed to take the place of a huge triple-trunk oak I lost. Obviously I'm going for a different look with the redbud lol, but the whole garden wraps around the oak trunk, so the tree is the center of the garden. Hence why I paid more for a bigger tree and faster start. (Plus I need shade as quickly as possible since this is a shade garden!) Now it just looks silly lol.

So I will stick the current redbud somewhere else, maybe in the woods, and try to find another source for a replacement Unfortunately due to budget constraints I missed my spring window of opportunity so probaly won't order till fall.

Good luck with yours and keep us updated! I always love to see updates!

:)

Dee

Redbuds are notorious for reacting poorly to transplanting regardless of the timing. They have deep tap roots, especially when young. Provenance is also important as even established trees can experience dieback in a colder winter.

I have just gone out in woods and dug a small redbud, never had issues...they're simply weeds here.