Scientific Name
Cercis canadensis ‘Covey’ ‘Lavender Twist Weeping Redbud’
Lavender Twist is a small tree, only 4 to 10 feet high, that has a dense umbrella-shaped crown and arching, then pendulous, twisting branches. This is a grafted cultivar that will never develop a leader and will barely ever grow any taller than the point at which it was originally staked. The foliage is the typical redbud heart-shaped leaves that turn yellow in the fall. The flowers are a bright lavender pink and bloom for several weeks during early spring. This is not a fussy plant to grow, though it dislikes being moved, so it’s best planted while young and left alone.
It has excellent cold hardiness for our area since it was derived from a mature plant in western New York State, although there is some lore that the plant was originally brought there as a seedling from Florida. This unusual form of redbud was discovered in a garden at the residence of Connie Covey, hence one of the names describing the cultivar. This tree is the parent of another popular weeping redbud cultivar, ‘Ruby Falls.’