Redbuds, like many small trees, tend not to have a central leader. I'd let it be...it needs all it's leaves to establish well. Look at it in a couple of years and see if any pruning is needed.

My approach to a tree with a V is to consistantly trim and prune just one arm so the other becomes dominant. Sooner or later the lesser one will have to be taken off. I learned this from growing up in a climate prone to ice storms; all trees with Vs break in ice storms.

Also, don't worry if it does not bud the first year. I have a redbud that was in bloom when I planted it but the following 4 years it did not bloom. I also have a pink dogwood the same. When we bought it it was in full bloom. With it it took about 6 years for it to produce the second bloom

The growth pattern you're seeing is typical of young redbuds. Let it be.

Mine is multistemmed...or at least, it started as one branch, then split off into 2 (although there was a long and tedious tale involving verticilliums, rootstock, reversion and what seemed like certain death). The point I am failing to make is redbuds do not really act like 'normal' trees which have a main trunk and lateral branches - it grows more like a large shrub with branches which need pruning every year, others which die-back for no apparent reason - apart from the residual wilt fungus which did for 'Forest Pansy' while plain old canadensis just shrugs it off. It is currently competing with a rampaging red hazel, so grows in a one sided fashion anyway...and is currently being propped up with an old clothespole until I finish building the planned arch which I can use for extra support. I find the asymmetric, anarchic branch structure has it's own charms.

While I would absolutely agree with iochroma if it was an acer or hornbeam, cercis is entirely happy to grow with a branching and uneven growth - it never has the heavy dense canopy or acts as a sail in high winds...although, tbf, I have never seen or experienced an icestorm in my life. if you feel it has a dangerous instability, whip out the pullsaw and have at it - they will almost certainly produce other laterals and even basal growth with a bit of a nudge (stem notching).

And yes, blooming was a hit and miss affair - some years are much better than others and it did take a while before I really saw much flower...but I originally bought it for the foliage - flowers turned out to be a bonus.

There are differences of opinion when it comes to redbuds. I think they look better multistemmed.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the feedback. I think I will just sit back and leave it to its own devices for this first full season. I guess I am lucky that it is already budding and starting to bloom.

Okay, so second question. The first one I bought, the one on which the top died, I planted that out on the edge of the woods in my back yard. It came back this year - or, the bottom half did lol. So my question is, will this ever amount to anything? Will it grow into a tree form? Or perhaps a kind of redbud shrub? It's main trunk goes up about two feet and then one fairly substantial branch goes off to the left at roughly a 45 degree angle, with some smaller twiglike branches coming off it. Not much else (and nothing on the other side to balance it out). I haven't cut off the dead stuff yet. Wondering if doing so will promote growth at the cut points.

Thanks,

:)

Dee

I would allow the stump to grow multiple shoots until they reach a few feet high, and then thin out the branches to only 2 or three, once you decide which stems will look the most pleasing. It would probably look better with 2 or more trunks, than trying to train a single trunk from a stump.

Thanks Jay! I will do that. And thanks to everyone for your suggestions!

:)

Dee

Lol no you are not off base at all! Dither, procrastinate, mull, think about, stew, put off till later, can't get to it today but will try to tomorrow - these are all terms that describe me haha.

As a matter of fact as I sit here typing I was supposed to go outside to work about two hours ago. Got sidetracked looking at a website to spend my 15% off coupon they sent for my birthday. Looked, mulled, decided, added to cart - and then saw almost $18 in shipping and though nope! Not worth the $5 I saved! So time wasted and NOW I am finally going outside to work. Or not, lol....

:)

Dee

It's hard to offer help based on the pictures provided...

Consider adding the tree forum next time

Ken

Ok,I'm going to guess with your sense of humor, Ken, the first comment is a reference to the fact that I did NOT include pictures lol. It's hard to get a clear photo of a five-foot tall, one-inch diameter stick in the garden - you barely see it because of all the background stuff. Trust me, I tried.

The second comment just leaves me stumped (no pun intended lol ) as I DID post this to the tree forum....

:)

Dee

For your malformed Elephant Man redbud, I would only caution that you watch for sprouts from the rootstock - as most (all?) named Cercis clones are budded/grafted. Stems from below that joining will likely be species Cercis canadensis, which will look and behave quite differently from 'Oklahoma' - and quite possibly will outcompete and consume the clonal component.

IN FACT (and I'm being totally honest with you): this very situation was an example that an old University of Kentucky horticulture professor would use with his students and on hort tours of the UK campus. This story dates back to the 1980s, when men were men and weather was consistently cold in Kentucky winters. 'Oklahoma' was pretty much considered a dieback plant, because Cercis reniformis was not reliably hardy here. The poor plant was mostly a collection of weak sprouts and cut back branches. You could clearly see the shiny leaves of 'Oklahoma' cohabitating with the duller foliage on the understock sprouts of Eastern Redbud.

You can always cultivate it this way, and stump all your gardening friends. If I was halfway IT swooft, I would hunt back through my slide collection and see if I can post a photo of that oldtimer...

VV thanks for that info! I will definitely keep an eye on the stumpy one. Is this something I would need to check for on the (so-far) healthy and full one as well?

:)

Dee

Any grafted or budded plant should be observed for unnecessary stem growth from below the scion (the clonal part), and prune that off as early as possible so resources are not wasted on unwanted wood. Some species are more prone to this kind of suckering; others, almost never.

SSSSome

Thanks again VV! My "V-branched" redbud is in bloom and starting to leaf out so I'm excited and hopeful to watch it grow. Stumpy back in the woods there is in bud too. I'll have to take a stroll to see how he is doing too lol. But again, I will just sit and watch for a while.

Thanks all!

:)

Dee

So while I was out working in the yard today I thought I'd attempt some photos. My phone camera is the pits, and it's hard to photograph skinny little trees, but I gave it a shot - should have tried when these were in bloom!

Anyway, here is the second, "V-shaped" tree, leafing out nicely (sorry, camera was in portrait mode, which blurs the background, and I don't think it could pick up the tree lol!)

Here is the original one. I'm so disappointed this didn't make it. I think it would have been a better specimen - fuller, etc. It looks decent on one side lol. I'll keep it here in the woods and see how it does. It's hard to tell but the overall tree is about 4 feet tall, although the main stem is dead from the left main branch up.

Just posting as an FYI!

:)

Dee