Why this writer chose Cercis as her nom de plume (pen name). Trials and errors of growing Cercis canadensis in severeal residential landscapes.
Cercis has been my nom de plume (pen name) since I first started using the world wide web and writing landscape gardening articles. Readers of my landscaping articles here at Suite101 usually recognize Cercis as the eastern redbud, native to eastern North America.
However, those friends and readers not familar with native species of eastern N.A. always ask, 'Why do you use such a strange nom de plume (pen name)?'
There were no eastern redbuds where I grew up in Cleveland, OH. My first introduction to Cercis canadensis came when I was a botany student at Miami University (OH). I fell in love with these trees. They are as wisps of red-purple smoke in understories of acidic woodlands.
I have consistently tried to grow eastern redbud trees in my garden landscapes. However, there has been little success.
- Seedlings were collected from southern OH woods and transplanted to amended clay soil in Cleveland, OH. They grew, but never became very large or flowered vigorously.
- Seedlings were collected from a vigorous landscape planting on the University of MA (Amherst) campus and transplanted a dozen miles north and higher in elevation. Soils in this garden were acidic and fertile. One redbud survived, despite early winter dieback and splitting from snow.
This spring, in southwest VA, I am surrounded by both wild and cultivated eastern redbuds. Each day, as I drive or walk, I feast my eyes on differences and variations in color and tone of these purple-red flowers. I'm lovin' it!
In Eastern Redbud Trees in the Landscape, I write about Cercis canadensis, its cultivars and its place in landscape gardens. Professor Michael Dirr's comments about seed source selection affecting redbud hardiness verifies my attempts to grow southern selections in my northern landscapes.
