Cercis canadensis ‘Eternal Flame’

Cercis canadensis 'Eternal Flame'

The Chelsea Plant of the Year (from 2021) is a deciduous, multi-stemmed redbud tree that keeps fairly compact at under 4 m / 13 ft. It’s something of a curiosity.

Confounding our expectations, Cercis canadensis ‘Eternal Flame’ has what we think of as autumn foliage during the whole of the time it is in leaf. The glossy, heart-shaped leaves open deep, fiery red, then turn orange, lime green and yellow, giving a burning bush effect when backlit.

The plant shown here is a young, slender sapling offered for sale at the Tatton Park Flower Show with quite a hefty price tag. Mature trees bear masses of pink pea-style flowers that sprout out directly from the stems before the leaves appear.

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