Sun; deciduous, with small, glossy, strongly dimpled leaves that may tolerate drought a bit better than its Texas cousin. Purplish blooms in very early spring. Generally, this redbud grows as a multi-trunked specimen, somewhat shrubby in stature.
Native to west Texas, Mexican redbud tolerates thin limestone soils, but give it good drainage.
Don’t over prune your young redbud to force it into a treelike shape; losing all its lower branches in a single day may result in a severely weakened tree. In general, focus on minimizing dead, damaged, or rubbing branches; only cut at a bud or branch. As with any tree, remove no more than 25% of the total canopy during any five-year cycle. (Never remove more than the lowest third of the tree in a single pruning period — for example, on a 12-foot tree, stick to the lowest 4 feet.)
