Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' Tree

One of our most popular Cercis varieties, 'Forest Pansy' is a dramatic small tree grown for its beautiful foliage, although it profusely flowers too. The glorious heart-shaped leaves emerge a glossy, vibrant ruby red and darken to a rich purple-plum shade for the summer. In autumn they turn striking shades of orange, red, yellow and purple. The autumn sun makes some leaves appear to be translucent and others reflect the light - plant in a position where the sun can backlight the foliage for full effect.

This North American Redbud will grow in a bushy, rounded form. Branches are spangled in tiny, deep pink, pea-like flowers ahead of the foliage and hang onto the dark branches through May. As a tree, expect a height and spread of 5 x 4 metres in 20 years and when grown as a shrub, 4 x 4 meters. Most  well drained soils will be suitable and for the best leaf colour, plant in an open, sunny position. Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' deservedly has the RHS Award of Garden Merit.

AKA North American redbud shrub, American Judas tree

• Common name: North American redbud tree
• Latin name: Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'
• Awards: RHS Award of Garden Merit
• Height and spread in 20 years: 5 x 4 metres
• Seasons of interest: Spring, Summer, Autumn
• Foliage: Red when young, maturing to deep plum. Orange-red-purple in autumn
• Soil: Requires a well-drained site, but tolerates most soil types

Planting Advice for Cercis canadensis Forest Pansy Trees

Our pot grown Cercis Forest Pansy trees can be planted at any time of the year. Start by removing weeds and grass within a metre of your desired planting hole, that is ideally in a sunny location. Dig a square hole as deep as your root mass and approximately 2x as wide. To help the tree establish more effectively, sprinkle root grow in the hole.

Remove the pot, gently loosen the roots and place into the planting hole. Mix 50% of the original soil with 50% compost, fill in the hole and firm around gently. Avoid banking the soil up around the collar of the tree.

We recommend planting North American Redbud trees (not bush or multi-stem forms) with a stake and tie kit. For single stakes, place the stake at an angle to avoid penetrating the rootmass and knock it in until it is firm. Use a buckle tie, placing the spacer between the stake and tree.

Aftercare Advice for Cercis Forest Pansy Trees

If you’re planting North American Redbud in spring or summer, water well for the first few months. Increase watering if there are extended periods of hot or dry weather. If planting in autumn, you may only need to water a little. Irrigation kits make it easier.

Once planted, keep the area free of competing weeds and grass for the first couple of growing seasons. If your area is prone to rabbits, use a rabbit guard.

Pruning Cercis canadensis Forest Pansy Trees

Cercis Forest Pansy trees tend to grow with multiple leaders rather than one clear leader. Allow this to occur naturally for the best overall shape. If your North American Redbud requires hard pruning, you can do this in spring/summer after flowering. Any general pruning to remove badly positioned or damaged branches should be carried out in winter.

Covid-19: We're pleased to announce that we are back up and running in line with government advice. We have a bit of a backlog of orders and are catching up as we write. Please expect a slightly longer lead time of around 2 – 3 weeks (excludes pre-order and mature trees). Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Delivery Costs

1 small tree (most trees under 1.5 metres in height) : £7.95 + vat

1 medium tree (most trees 1.5-2 metres in height) or 2-4 small trees: £9.95 + vat

2+ medium trees or 5+ small trees: £12.95 + vat

1-4 trees delivered by pallet (inc. mature Japanese Maples): £19.95 + vat

The above prices exclude the Scottish Highlands, where delivery starts from £24.95 + vat and is calculated in the checkout process.

Mature and pleached trees or orders too large for pallet: Cost is calculated in the checkout process and varies by postcode rather than quantity (starts from £48 + vat).

Northern Ireland and Non Mainland UK

Our courier charges are not viable for just one or two trees, but if you have a larger requirement then please do speak to us to see if we can find a solution.

Delivery Timescales

All trees are carefully packed by our experienced team and most are delivered within 10 days of placing the order. There's no need to be in to receive your order and you can request where it is left via the checkout.

There is a slightly longer timescale on pleached and mature trees (trees over 2.5m in height) because we group orders together for specialist delivery - we will contact these customers to notify them of the delivery date.

Trees on pre-order are still growing and an estimate of when they will be ready is given on the basket page. Orders will be despatched when all trees are ready.

Gift trees and those required by a specific date can be accommodated with pleasure, although we accept no legal responsibility for late deliveries.

Our nursery is a busy despatch centre, so please make an appointment to collect or view trees.  For collections, despatch charges will be refunded.

The product table at the bottom of the page gives the forms and sizes available for this variety. Please note, photos are a guideline as all plants are unique. Below are definitions of terms:

Supplied Size: Height measured from the top of the pot.

Single Stem / Pruned and shaped: Classic shaped tree with a single stem that has had pruning to help create a beautiful, natural shape.

Top grafted: A height noted next to this form refers to the length of clear stem, which will not grow taller. Only the head of branches will develop. Top grafted trees do not require complicated pruning and are ideal for small spaces.

Feathered: A feathered tree has branches from the bottom of the trunk all the way up. These branches can be removed if a clear stem is required.

Multi Stem: A multi stem tree has two or more stems arising from or near ground level, growing from one root system.

Bush: A plant with many stems low down, rather than one clear stem.

Clump: Several plants in one pot that can give the appearance of a multi stemmed and very bushy tree.

Climber: A plant that is a natural climber and will be delivered usually running up a bamboo cane, ready to position in the garden.

Standard Tree: A more mature tree with an upright clear stem of approximately 1.8m-2.0m (measured from the soil to the lowest branches of the crown). Standards are available in different forms relating to their girth size (circumference of the stem measured 1m above soil level), not height:

Standard  either 6-10cm or 8-10cm girth, approximately 2.5-3.0m in height
Premium Standard  10-12cm girth, approximately 3.0-3.5m in height
Heavy Standard  12-14cm girth, approximately 3.5-4.5m in height
Extra Heavy Standard 14-16cm girth approximately 4.0-6m in height