Hello Gardeners, I'm Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Redbud, Cercis
Canadensis, is a remarkably adaptable native tree. It's hard to imagine a yard where you couldn't grow
one successfully except an area with high salinity in the water or occasional salt spray. They thrive in
full sun or shade - slightly less flowering in a shadier spot, and aren't picky about pH or soil types happily
growing in well-drained fields or along flood plains. The straight species are small trees, up to
thirty feet tall and across, and are often multi-trunked. Sadly,they aren't dramatically long-lived as they
are susceptible to canker diseases. But they grow quickly and their early vivid purple flowers are so eye
catching that everyone should find room for one. There lots of new cultivars so even a small yard has
space - Tom Thumb is six by six and Lavender twist is a weeping variety about the same size.
Amanda McNulty is a Clemson University Extension Horticulture agent and the host of South Carolina ETV’s Making It Grow! gardening program. She studied horticulture at Clemson University as a non-traditional student. “I’m so fortunate that my early attempts at getting a degree got side tracked as I’m a lot better at getting dirty in the garden than practicing diplomacy!” McNulty also studied at South Carolina State University and earned a graduate degree in teaching there.