small tree
Weeping redbud 'Ruby Falls'
Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls'
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Hardy in zones 5–9, Weeping redbud 'Ruby Falls' is a slow-growing deciduous small tree. It grows 6–8 ft tall and 5–6 ft wide, so plant it 5 ft apart. Give it full sun to part shade and average water. It flowers pink and purple in March to April. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the anchor role: the one larger plant that anchors the back of a bigger bed. It is native to the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, the Midwest and Texas and the South-Central states. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls'
- Plant type
- Small tree, deciduous
- Hardiness zones
- 5 to 9
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Needs good drainage; tolerates clay and alkaline soil.
- Mature size
- 6–8 ft tall × 5–6 ft wide
- Spacing
- 5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Mar–Apr · pink and purple
- Roles in a bed
- Anchor
- Styles
- cottage, natural, modern
- Deer resistance
- Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not on the ASPCA toxic list; no known toxic compounds.
- Native to
- Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest and South-Central
- Pot size and price
- 7-gallon pot, typically $90–$160 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, more in heat waves, so the root ball never dries out.
- Pruning
- Remove crossing or dead branches after flowering; stake if the leader flops.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings (A-D); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Weeping redbud 'Ruby Falls', across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Bee balmMonarda didymaperennial · zones 4–9
- Red twig dogwood 'Arctic Fire'Cornus sericea 'Farrow'shrub · zones 3–7
- Arrowwood viburnum 'Blue Muffin'Viburnum dentatum 'Christom'shrub · zones 3–8
- Foxglove beardtongue 'Husker Red'Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'perennial · zones 3–8
- Anise-scented sage 'Black and Blue'Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'perennial · zones 7–10
- Northern sea oatsChasmanthium latifoliumornamental grass · zones 5–9
If you can't find it
Plants that do the same job and pass the same rules for the conditions Weeping redbud 'Ruby Falls' suits.
- Crape myrtle 'Tonto'Lagerstroemia 'Tonto'zones 7–11 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Star magnolia 'Royal Star'Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star'zones 4–8 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Common lilacSyringa vulgariszones 3–7 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Desert willowChilopsis lineariszones 7–10 · not flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants