Ace of Hearts Redbud

Among our native trees there are many beautiful ones, but few can compete with the Redbud. While not a dominant species in the forests, it makes its mark in early spring, while other trees still sleep, lighting up the forest margins in glowing color. An essential source of pollen for early insects, it is also an essential source of color in our gardens. Unfortunately, while not enormous, it can reach 25 feet tall and wide easily enough – too large for many of us. Since its beauty makes it almost essential, what to do? Fortunately there is an answer – the Ace of Hearts Redbud. This variety is much smaller than most, a mere 12 feet tall, forming a dense, rounded, dome-shaped crown of ascending branches that needs no pruning to stay that way. It will bring you that valuable early color, while delighting you later with its handsome, heart-shaped leaves, and ending the season with a flush of golden yellow. When space is the problem, this tree is the answer. Using the Ace of Hearts Redbud in Your Garden With its compact form, you can’t beat the Ace of Hearts Redbud for a specimen on a smaller lawn – it’s one that isn’t going to crowd you out. Use it too at the back of shrub beds, or in the angle of the walls of your home. It looks great at the top of a slope, and also in semi-natural settings along the edge of a wooded area too – after all, this is a native tree. Growing the Ace of Hearts Redbud Size and Appearance The Ace of Hearts Redbud is a small tree or large shrub, naturally forming a broad, rounded form and maturing between 10 and 12 feet tall. It has a dome-like shape, and can be as much as 15 feet across, so plant about 8 feet distance from a wall, fence or boundary so it doesn’t end up looking crowded. The bark has a sandpaper-like surface, and is dark black-brown, so it makes a great winter profile, especially with snow on the ground. Older stems show orange striations, adding to the beauty. The branches have a characteristic zig-zag form when young, and their graceful undulations give this tree a terrific look, with or without leaves. Foliage emerges after flowering, and young leaves are glossy and colored a striking purple-red. They mature to have a smooth, semi-glossy surface, and be heart-shaped, about 3 inches long and wide, and they overlap in rows along the stems, like a fanned-out deck of cards. Summer leaves are a rich green, and they turn clear yellow in fall. Flowering comes early – one of the earliest trees or shrubs to flower – and well-before the leaves appear, typically in early April. Individual flowers are small, but make up for it in abundance and vibrancy. They form in clusters along both young and old stems, and even directly on the trunk and main branches, with such abundance as to give a spectacular show. Look at them closely and you will see they are exactly like the flowers of a pea plant, but vibrant purple-pink. Fruits are rarely formed, but you may sometimes see brown wooden pods in clusters on some branches when the leaves fall. The seeds are not edible. Hardiness The Ace of Hearts Redbud grows best in zones 5 to 8, but it is hardy in zone 4 too, although it may have some branch injury during a severe winter. In zone 9 it needs some protection from full sun, and probably supplementary watering as well. Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions Generally, choose a spot in full sun for your Ace of Hearts Redbud, which will give maximum flowering. Some afternoon shade is good in the hottest zones, but avoid a spot in deeper shade. It will grow well in all well-drained soils, from acidic to alkaline, and from sandy places to clay, although moderate moisture and richer soils are best. It certainly isn’t picky, and will grow in most places, even in new gardens and development areas. Established plants are drought tolerant, but if you are in a very hot, dry region, consider the more tolerant Texas Redbud instead. Maintenance and Pruning This tree isn’t bothered by deer, and is generally easy to grow, with no serious pests or diseases. In a few decades, when it reaches old age, the likelihood of problems can of course increase. Unlike larger varieties of redbud, your Ace of Hearts Redbud is smaller and more compact, needing no pruning to keep it full, rounded and dome-shaped. You can decide early on if you want a single trunk or a multi-trunk form – it will naturally tend to develop about 5 main branches, but you can remove lower ones while young to give it a more tree-like form. Water new trees regularly, and a deep soaking will be appreciated by established trees during extended dry periods. Once your new tree has settled in, very little attention is needed, making this an easy and colorful addition to your garden. History and Origin of the Ace of Hearts Redbud Redbud trees are found in North America, Europe and Asia. They are sometimes called Judas trees because the European species, Cercis siliquastrum, is thought to be the tree on which the disciple Judas Iscariot hanged himself. In North America there are currently three species recognized, but most garden plants are forms of Cercis canadensis, the Eastern redbud. This tree can be found wild all the way from southern Ontario to northern Florida, and west into Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and northern Mexico. It grows naturally in open woodlands, along streams, and at the edges of denser forests. It’s an important early pollen source for many insects. The variety called ‘Ace of Hearts’ was found by a classic method of plant breeding. Paul B. E. Woody took up plant growing after he retired from the furniture business. He germinated a large, mixed batch of seeds of eastern redbud, and in 1997 planted about 400 of them in a field. He grew them until 2000, by which time most of them were 8 to 10 feet tall. One, though, caught his attention, because it was smaller, and with a more compact, upright but dome-like form, and foliage that had a distinctive overlapping pattern on the branches. When mature this tree was only 12 feet tall, while the others in the batch were as much as 25 feet tall. In 2003 he applied for a patent, which was granted in 2006 (PP# 17,161), with the name ‘Ace of Hearts’. That patent expired in 2023. Buying the Ace of Hearts Redbud at the Tree Center Among our range of redbuds, the Ace of Hearts Redbud is ideal if you want a compact tree that isn’t going to overwhelm a smaller space, and won’t need any pruning. The beautiful foliage will captivate you, and the spring display is stunning. This popular variety is always in demand, and we have some beautiful young trees freshly arrived from the grower. This is the moment you have been waiting for, so don’t hesitate in adding this tree to your garden. It’s a winning hand, and the Ace of Hearts is always your best friend, the Eagles tell us.