Cercis Hearts A'Fire™

Cercis Hearts A'Fire™ is a deciduous understory tree offering multi-season interest, grown for its lovely architecture and colorful spring foliage and flowers. This small tree puts on a spectacular show in spring: first, flowering in clusters of charming pea-like dark pink flowers on bare branches; then, bursting into flames as its graceful canopy of large, heart-shaped leaves emerge in a blaze of fiery colors—burgundy-red, tangerine-orange, and gold—before maturing to reddish green. The nectar-rich flowers are a food source for bees and early season butterflies, and the seedpods that follow sustain several species of songbirds throughout fall and winter.

A Cercis canadensis species, commonly called redbud trees, Hearts A'Fire has a moderate growth rate and a compact, upright habit, reaching a mature height of 10 to 15 feet tall. Redbud trees are great specimen, shade, and patio trees, but they are especially eye-catching in grouped plantings in the landscape.

Low maintenance trees, redbuds grow best in sunny to dappled sun locations with organic, moist, well-draining soil having an acidic or alkaline pH, but they tolerate most soils, including loam, sand, and clay. In hot climates, some shade may be required for best performance. Adding mulch around the tree's base will help keep roots moist and cool in extreme temperatures. Any desired pruning for shape should be done in late spring, after blooming is complete. Cercis Hearts A'Fire is black walnut resistant.