Page 52 - MNLGA Free State Spring 2025_WEB

GROWING WITH EDUCATION (Continued)

in a container. The flowers are a
deep rose color and are followed by
white heart shaped leaves flecked
with green that mature to green
leaves flecked with white. ‘Ruby Falls’
was the first weeping Redbud I saw
in person in Stanton Gill’s garden,
thriving in the shade and protection
of a shady wooded garden. ‘Ruby
Falls’ has stiff pendulous branches
that arch gracefully, descending to
the ground. ‘Ruby Falls’ is a cross
between Lavender Twist™ and ‘Forest
Pansy’ and has dark rose flowers
followed by deep burgundy colored
heart shaped leaves, holding the color
until turning to yellow in the autumn.
‘Vanilla Twist’ is from Lavender
Twist™ and ‘Royal White’, grows 12
feet tall and 8 feet wide with arching,
cascading branches that are covered
in early spring with pure white flowers
and bright green heart shaped leaves
that remain true green until autumn. Photo: Ginny Rozenkranz

There is no doubt that the single stem of Lepidoptera, (butterflies, skippers soils that Black walnuts grow in and
or multi-stem, upright or cascading and moths) who use the tree foliage although they prefer to grow in well
branches provide a beautiful living for their young caterpillars. Henry’s drained soils, they can often survive
sculpture in the winter and the pink, Elfin butterfly gets its nectar from the in clay soils. With all of the beautiful,
rose, lavender or magenta purple Redbud flowers in early spring and graceful and colorful Redbuds
flowers provide beauty in the spring their young caterpillars feed on the available, it is difficult to decide which
while summer brings the rich greens, foliage. Leaf cutter bees are solitary, one (or ones) to plant. A
shiny burgundy, soft yellow or the non-aggressive native bees who also
sunrise colors of the foliage. Possibly need the foliage of the Redbuds. They
an even better reason to plant these nest in soft wood that has rotted and
beautiful native trees is that they in thick stemmed plants like roses,
provide more than beauty to the never in buildings or homes. Their
eye, they provide food and shelter to nest tunnels can be several inches
many species. Many of the Redbuds deep, and they use the pieces of
produces seeds in flat bean like dry leaves to create a nest cell for each of
seedpods that grow 2-4 inches long their eggs. The bees develop over the Ginny Rosenkranz
and mature to brown towards the summer and stay in their nests until Extension Educator, Commercial
end of summer. Each pod packs the next spring, when they emerge Horticulture, University of Maryland
Extension, Dorchester, Somerset,
6-12 seeds which provide food for and become excellent pollinators Wicomico and Worchester County
many native songbirds and small for the Redbuds. Redbuds are also 410 749-6141 x106
mammals. There are 12 native species rosnkrnz@umd.edu
deer resistant! They can also live in

52 SPRING 2025 • Free State News