March Gladness

The redbud trees in my yard developed an attitude over the last six months. After enduring a blistering summer and long cold winter, they elevated their game to a higher level and produced the most abundant purple blooms I’ve seen in years. While sports fans participated in the craziness of college basketball March Madness, the thousands of daffodils surrounding my house encouraged the redbuds to join their bloom-a-rama. For the past two weeks they competed in nature’s version of a beauty pageant to see who won first place, and today I declared them co-champions. Yes, I said thousands of daffodils, despite my husband insisting we planted a million bulbs. The truth is I ordered one thousand bulbs, they’ve multiplied over the years, and he exaggerates on occasion.

But wait, there’s more to redbud trees than pretty purple blooms. As a native North American hardwood, it’s dense, heavy, highly rot resistant, and usable for making small items like bowls, candlesticks, and end tables. If a tree suffers storm damage and requires cutting, the seasoned wood makes great firewood, generating heat comparable to other hardwoods and producing excellent coals leaving minimal ash. Several cultivated varieties exist for different US hardiness zones, so this fall plant a redbud tree in your yard and celebrate blooming March Gladness with me next spring.

What’s blooming in your yard right now?

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