Source: PlantingTree.com (NC)
Size shipped: 5-6', potted
Planted:
First flowering: At the nursery
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(This plant stayed behind when I moved in 2021; therefore, the following text will receive no further updates.)
Free replacement sent by PlantingTree.com to correct their mistake of sending the first one in March. Noticeably thicker caliper, more branches (it had obviously had all lower branches pruned off up to a certain point), and one or two flowers that fell off in the shipping box. Had some potbound roots -- tried to cut these off but probably didn't do it right. Pruned some of the less productive branches on arrival. Had to tie to the porch railing to prevent from falling over constantly.
I'm guessing that the larger root mass of this tree kept it draining decently in the potting soil I used, unlike the autumn cherry. Around early July or so, it stopped growing and started getting brown spots on the more shaded leaves. As of August 2019, I've started using Dyna-Gro Pro-TeKt on it, though it's probably too late to do much good the rest of this season.
Later in August 2019, after cutting away a bunch of roots from the three decades-old maples (two reds and a Norway) in our west yard, I planted this redbud properly in the ground, in the shade of those maples but far enough away from any one of them that its canopy ought to have enough room to grow properly. I also took the opportunity to properly prune some of the roots that had been potbound when we first got it (back to BEFORE the bend in each).
2020 didn't see this redbud exploding in new growth like the other one did (again), but I attribute that to more root competition and less sunlight, both due to the large maples in the west yard.