The California Redbud trees (Cercis occidentalis) are in bloom at UC Davis Arboretum.

University of California Davis Arboretum

The Warren G. Roberts Redbud Collection along the Putah Creek path that winds through the Arboretum is a fantastic testimony to this California native tree.  Redbuds are suitable for almost any home garden in our summer-dry climate.

It’s profuse magenta flowers are showstoppers, followed by beautiful, beautiful heart-shaped leaves.

The redbud trees are part of the the native plant collection in the Arboretum that sometimes combines plants in unexpected ways.

Only in an Arboretum would you see Fan palms from the desert paired with deciduous trees from the foothills.

And speaking of pairing plants together, the Ruth Risdon Storer Garden at the west end of the Arboretum is a wonderful resource for gardeners, featuring many of the Arboretum All-Stars in what is called a Valley-wise garden.

Cercis occidentalis, California or Western Redbud, California native tree flowering in Storer garden in UC Davis Arboretum

I think of it as a water wise garden for any gardener.  Not surprisingly the redbud tree is featured prominently.