Spotted by Alex Neubauer of Hidden Hollow Nursery in Belvidere, Tennessee, 'Pink Pom Poms' is a naturally occurring cross whose parentage likely includes both the double-flowered 'Flame' and possibly 'Oklahoma.' Its seeds were sent to Dennis Werner at North Carolina State University for development, and what was confirmed in testing was remarkable: fully double, reddish-purple flowers, female-sterile and therefore producing no seed pods, blooming in such dense clusters along bare spring branches that the tree appears briefly to have been decorated for a festival. The heart-shaped leaves that follow are smaller, thicker, and glossier than those of 'Flame,' and they remain attractive well into the growing season without the scorch or leaf spot that troubles other cultivars in summer heat.

The tree reaches 13 feet tall and wide, perhaps touching 20 feet with age, and its compact dimensions make it a genuine choice for smaller gardens where a full-sized redbud would eventually become a problem. Full sun brings out the best flowering performance; part shade works but may thin the bloom count. Like all redbuds, 'Pink Pom Poms' does not transplant well, so the site choice should be made once and honored. Use it as a specimen in a small front garden, as an accent near a patio, or mass planted in a sweep where the spring spectacle will be the entire point of the planting.