If You Plant One Small Tree This Year, It Needs To Be This Stunning Purple Bloomer

While there are many fantastic trees that will add tremendous color to your landscaping, if you're going to pick one small tree to plant this year, make it a Merlot redbud (Cercis 'Merlot'). Why this tree? Not only is it fast-growing, but its purple blooms will bring truly stunning color to your property. 

A cousin of the Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), which is one of the best trees to plant if you want pink blooms, the Merlot redbud can grow well in USDA zones 6 through 9. A relatively compact tree, the Merlot will grow to a maximum height of 18 feet with a mature branch width of about 20 feet. This makes it an ideal choice for gardeners with smaller land plots in urban or suburban settings.

The real showstoppers, of course, are the pinkish purple flower blooms that happen early in the spring. The color doesn't stop there, however. Come late spring and early summer, the tree will leaf out with the glossy deep burgundy purple foliage responsible for its "Merlot" name. As the summer wanes, the leaves will turn deep green before browning and falling off in autumn. It's a great tree plant if you want to bring a pop of unique color to your landscape.

When planting any tree in your yard, the first thing you need to consider is where the tree is going to go. The Merlot redbud should be planted somewhere that gets 4 to 6 hours of full sun in the morning, and then partial shade in the afternoon. As for soil, the Merlot redbud needs loamy soil that's well-draining, though it will be fairly drought-tolerant once it has matured. 

A simple beginner DIY tree planting trick to remember is to always make sure that the hole you dig is twice as wide as the diameter of the root ball, and just as deep. Once you backfill with soil, spread 3 to 4 inches of mulch and compost to give the young tree something to feed off of. In the early years of growth, the Merlot redbud should get an application of fertilizer in early spring. As this tree tends towards growing multiple trunks, pruning is recommended to train it to a strong main leader. 

A Merlot redbud will take between 5 and 10 years to reach its full maturity, which is fairly fast as far as trees are concerned. Once it blooms, be prepared to see a whole host of birds and pollinators like bees and butterflies flocking to your yard. So, not only is a Merlot redbud great for aesthetics, but it's great for the health of your yard as well.