I've only tried rooting rebdbud once and failed but rooting trees is not something I'm good at. Are you sure you don't have seedlings coming up in your wooded area?
You can order trees from the MO Dept of Conservation through the end of April. They still have redbud trees but are out of some of the other trees. You would get a bundle of 25 bareroot redbuds for $7.00 - less than 50 cents per tree. That may be more trees than you want but you could share some with friends/neighbors. You would need to plant them right away when you get them. Redbuds sometimes don't transplant very well and it's getting late to be planting bare root stuff. They will have the forms for next year available around mid November and would ship the trees starting in February. At least something to keep in mind if your cuttings don't work.

I don't know why I didn't think of checking with the Conservation Dept...that's really probably the way to go. I looked for seedlings but don't see any coming up, but I have heard they don't transplant well, at least not the larger seedlings.

Thanks for the idea!

I can't say enough good things about the seedlings from Dept of Conservation. They arrived as scheduled and the packing was very good. The trees themselves were very healthy with generous roots, moist and pliable. I planted them in Feb. It looks like all 25 lived altho the redbuds are slow to leaf and of course, no flowering this early. They are all breaking dormancy - so if you are going to order please do so quickly.
Propagation on shrubs is fun and easy. Wait until June. I've never tried redbud trees.

I went ahead and ordered a bundle to split with my parents and had them shipped to their place near Joplin. (We live just over the Arkansas border) I can't find that Arkansas has any kind of program like this. If they do, it's not on the Game & Fish website. It'll be later than I like for planting, but from what I've read they do ok if I get them in asap.

hergrammy I'm still going to try propagation in June just to see if I can do it! What have you had success with?

I've never tried rooting cuttings, but in my experience redbuds seed freely and grow quickly. I've dug up 5 ft tall one-year seedlings from my garden and given them away many times. October is best time to move them. March next best. They transplant well. (Dogwoods now don't transplant at all well.) If you have redbuds in the woods, you DO have seedlings.

I had seedlings all over the yard last year and transplanted a huge one and three smaller ones. Don't know if they made it over the winter yet or not.

My mother tree still isn't in full bloom yet.

i have some cuttings in the house in water. they are leafing out but absolutely no roots. is this common?

william

I had really good luck with propagating using Rootone on weigela, forsythia, quince, lonicera, viburnum, and buddelia. That was just what I tried - I imagine there are many others that would do well. I took the cuttings on new, hardened wood and I believe it was June - it was hot out. I just stuck the cuttings in pots and left them in the shade and watered them when they needed it.
I see redbuds in full bloom everywhere but my young babies are just starting to leaf out. I guess they don't bloom for a few years???

I read that they don't flower until they are 7 years old...not sure how accurate that is as I've seen some pretty tiny ones in bloom. But...it makes sense that they wouldn't bloom for a while. Also might explain why I couldn't find seedlings - no leaves yet to tell what they are!

I planted a redbud in the corner of my backyard that came up as a volunteer seedling in my mulch. This is the first year it really bloomed (had a couple flowers on it last year). It's about six or seven feet tall. I wish I had made a note when I transplanted it there but I think it was about four years ago and it would've been a one-year seedling already so that makes it five years old. My youngest daughter helped me plant it when she was about six and she claims it as her tree.
Anyone who has dug up large redbud trees has my respect. The ones I dug up had surprisingly deep roots already and were only a year old. It would be easier if there wasn't so much rock though.

"It would be easier if there wasn't so much rock though"

LOL...how many times has that come out of an Ozarker's mouth...