How fast do redbud trees grow? About 1 to 2 feet a year. A bare-root redbud spends its first season building roots, then speeds up, reaching 7 to 10 feet by age five or six. It can bloom in its third year of growth, flowers yearly from the fourth, and tops out at 20 to 30 feet.
This is TN Nursery's customer education site, run by TN Nursery, a third-generation family nursery in Altamont, Tennessee, growing native trees and plants since 1959. If you've ordered an Eastern Redbud Tree or are thinking about one, the box that arrives holds a dormant, bare-root tree with no leaves and no flowers. It's natural to wonder how long that bare stick takes to look like the redbuds you see blooming pink each spring. The timeline below answers that, year by year, starting from the size you actually plant: 1 to 4 foot trees, or 6 to 18 inch seedlings. Growth figures for young redbuds come from the University of Illinois Extension, and bloom timing comes from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Every yard is different, so treat the numbers as a guide rather than a promise. Soil, sun and water in your first two seasons decide whether your tree runs ahead of the timeline or behind it.
How fast do redbud trees grow from the size you plant
- Eastern Redbud Tree: bare-root trees in 1 to 2 foot, 2 to 3 foot and 3 to 4 foot sizes. A bigger start gives you more height on day one.
- Eastern Redbud Seedlings (Cercis canadensis): small bare-root seedlings, an affordable way to plant redbuds in numbers.
- Forest Pansy Redbud Trees: a redbud with bright pinkish red spring flowers that looks its best under the dappled shade of taller trees.
1. Year one: roots before height
A bare-root redbud spends its first growing season rebuilding the roots it lost when it was dug. Expect leaves in spring and little new height. That's normal, not a sign of trouble. The tree is putting its energy below ground, and the roots it builds now power the faster growth to come. Young redbuds establish better than older ones, according to the University of Illinois Extension, one more reason a small bare-root start is a good one.
Tip: Water deeply once a week through the first summer when rain is short.
2. Year two: height picks up
With roots settled, the tree starts growing upward in earnest, at the 1 to 2 feet a year most growers describe. Assuming little gain in year one, that puts a 1 to 2 foot tree at roughly 2 to 4 feet by the end of year two, a 2 to 3 foot tree at 3 to 5 feet, and a 3 to 4 foot tree at 4 to 6 feet. Seedlings follow the same pace from a smaller start.
Tip: Keep grass and weeds pulled back from the trunk so the roots get the water.
3. Years three and four: first blooms
Redbuds flower young for a tree. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center notes that eastern redbud can bloom as early as its third year of growth and usually flowers every year from its fourth. Those years count from when the tree began growing, so a nursery-grown tree may reach them sooner after planting than a small seedling. Look for the first flowers in early spring.
Tip: Full sun brings the most flowers. In part shade a redbud still grows but blooms less.
4. Years five and six: 7 to 10 feet
By now a healthy redbud has filled out into a small tree. The University of Illinois Extension puts young redbuds at 7 to 10 feet tall in five to six years, which matches the pace of 1 to 2 feet a year. From here the canopy starts to widen as well as rise, and the tree begins to look like the redbuds you see in older yards.
5. Year seven on: slowing toward 20 to 30 feet
Growth slows as a redbud matures. A mature eastern redbud reaches 20 to 30 feet tall and roughly as wide, according to the University of Illinois Extension. Plan for that spread when you plant, and give the tree room from your house, driveway and other trees. Redbud is a fairly short-lived tree, usually living 20 to 30 years, and stress from wet soil or disease shortens it.
Tip: Choose a spot with well-drained soil. Redbuds struggle where water sits.
Forest Pansy and dogwood choices
Forest Pansy is a redbud that suits a spot in dappled shade under taller trees. Plan on the same quiet first season while its roots settle, like any bare-root tree. If you're weighing a redbud against a dogwood, both are spring-flowering native trees. The White Dogwood Tree comes in the same 1 to 4 foot bare-root sizes as the Eastern Redbud Tree, and Cornus Florida - White Dogwood Seedlings are the seedling option for larger plantings. Redbud's strong point is a quick start. A pace of 1 to 2 feet a year and blooms from the third or fourth year of growth make it a good choice when you want spring color from a small tree soon. Whichever you choose, the same root-first first season applies.
Care and keeping: When your bare-root redbud arrives, open the box right away and check that the roots are moist. If you can't plant the same day, keep the roots damp and the tree in a cool, shaded spot. Plant while the tree is still dormant, at the depth it grew in the nursery, and water it in well.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take for a redbud tree to grow to full size?
No single year count fits every tree. Young redbuds reach about 7 to 10 feet by age five or six, then growth slows as they approach their mature size of 20 to 30 feet tall and roughly as wide. Expect that last stretch to take longer than the first, since an older tree adds less height each year.
What are the downsides of redbud trees?
Redbuds are fairly short-lived, with published lifespans from about 20 to 75 years. The University of Illinois Extension notes they are hard to transplant once older and are prone to Botryosphaeria canker and Verticillium wilt. They also struggle in soil that stays wet, so drainage matters when you pick a spot.
Which is better, dogwood or redbud?
Neither is better for every yard, since both are spring-flowering trees for similar spots. Redbud suits you if you want blooms soon from a small bare-root start, because it can flower in its third year of growth and adds 1 to 2 feet a year. A dogwood suits you if its flowers are the look you want.
