General Culture:

Easily grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Part shade is best in hot climates. Performs best with regular and consistent moisture. Avoid wet or poorly drained soils. Since this tree does not transplant well, it should be planted when young and left undisturbed. Central or main shoot of this weeping cultivar may be staked to promote upright growth to a desired height. When staking is removed, upward growth will usually stop. This is a patented plant that is vegetatively propagated by grafting.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Cercis canadensis (see H550 herein) is the common redbud tree that is native to eastern and central North America including Missouri. ‘Covey’ is a very small weeping cultivar noted for its absence of an upright leader and for its dense umbrella-shaped crown with contorted stems and arching to pendulous branches. If staked and trained, it may eventually rise to 8-10’ tall. If not staked, it may never exceed 5’ in height. Clusters of tiny, lavender-pink, pea-like flowers bloom for 2-3 weeks in early spring (April) before the foliage emerges. Heart-shaped foliage with pointed tips emerges in spring with red tinting, matures to a dull, dark blue-green and finally turns yellow in fall. This weeping redbud was discovered growing at the private residence of Connie Covey in Westfield, New York, in 1991. U. S. Plant Patent PP10,328 was issued for ‘Covey’ on April 14, 1998. The patent owner subsequently registered LAVENDER TWIST as a U. S. trademark on February 15, 2000, and ‘Covey’ is now commonly sold by nurseries today under the trade name of LAVENDER TWIST. It should be noted, however, that the Royal Horticultural Society continues to list both ‘Convey’ and ‘Lavender Twist’ separately as tentatively accepted names.