Last week my sister was visiting and took home with her, seed pods from our native redbud trees here on the property. I've never tried to grow them from seed as Mother Nature does a great job of it here. Redbuds everywhere! What is the best way for her to have sucess with them? Dry out the seeds first? Take the seeds out of the pods or leave em in? Anyone ever try it, or is it hopeless?

-- Annie (mistletoe6@earthlink.net), May 29, 2002

Answers

Annie...we have lots of redbud growing on our property also (loved that Chevy Chase movie :-)!!!) I've never tried growing them from seed, but I do know that they transplant easily as very small saplings. A friend of ours goes up in our back woods sometimes and digs one or two up. He makes bonsai trees out of them! Then he sells them at some horticultural show in Boston. The yuppies pay lots of money for them!!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), May 29, 2002.

I have lots of trees, mostly maples and sycamores. I don't have a single redbud anywhere.

I have gobs of baby maples growing in all sorts of containers that I cleaned out of the barn gutter! ! Those little helicopter things sprout roots if you spit on them!

-- GrannyHen (cluckin along@cs.com), May 29, 2002.