The best judas trees, compared.
Top pick: SAFLAX Judas tree seeds (60) Best value: Ipsa Chinese redbud seeds (10) – Lowest shelf price in the set, about £2.96 for ten Cercis chinensis seeds. No reviews, and the packet is not Avondale. Updated October 2026.
A Judas tree for a UK garden is Cercis siliquastrum, a deciduous small tree in the pea family with heart-shaped leaves and rosy-pink pea flowers on older wood. Those are related species, not the same plant. The RHS rates C. siliquastrum H5, with an ultimate height of 8–12 m and a spread wider than 8 m over 20–50 years, for full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil. Gardeners' puts a 20-year size at about 4.5 m by 4 m, and says the tree does best in milder parts of the UK and should not be moved once planted. A seed packet is not a flowering tree. Species, seed versus sapling, and the nursery price gap are in the [Judas tree buying guide](/hub/trees-and-palms/judas-tree/sub/judas-tree-buying-guide). Scores use the stored listings and the review notes. The RHS lists chalk, clay, loam or sand, any pH, well-drained soil, and marks drought resistance as yes. Oxford's 400 note says that in Britain the leaves usually appear before the flowers.
A Judas tree for a UK garden is Cercis siliquastrum, a deciduous small tree in the pea family with heart-shaped leaves and rosy-pink pea flowers on older wood. Those are related species, not the same plant.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Do you want a plant or seed?
SAFLAX sells 60 Cercis siliquastrum seeds at about £4.55 with pink colour on the listing and a summer bloom field. The amazon.co.uk line is 3.1 from 100 ratings, which looks like a crowd until you read the texts. Reviews from several countries, including the UK, mostly say nothing germinated. One UK review from January 2022 said both suggested methods failed and the seeds looked old and mouldy. Another buyer counted about 50 seeds against 60 on the label. A Spanish review praised a card that explained substrate and stratification, but another complained the useful sheet was in German while a multilingual sheet only covered wetting coir. Bullets mention heart-shaped leaves, rosy blossoms and potting instructions, yet many attribute fields on the page are blank. Horticulture Magazine's rule of thumb for seed-grown Cercis is roughly fifteen years to flower, and that patience assumes viable seed in the first place. The star average is not a germination percentage. Treat this packet as a cheap experiment with a loud failure signal in the review file, not as a reliable way to fill a border next spring.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already know how to scarify or chill Cercis seed and you treat the packet as a low-cost trial.
Less suitable: You want a dependable germination rate or your first attempt at tree seed.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing say how tall this tree grows?
The page asks how tall it grows and gives no figure. The bullets mention heart-shaped leaves and rosy blossoms, not a height.
Are soil type and indoor sowing answered?
Both are questions on the listing without answers. The attributes give moderate watering and a summer bloom field only.
What do the reviews say about germination?
The listing is 3.1 from 100. Texts in the raw file, from several countries including the UK, mostly say nothing germinated. One UK review mentions mould. One review counted 50 seeds rather than 60.
The Akplants Judas tree sapling at about £12.50 is the only living Cercis siliquastrum in this amazon.co.uk set, listed at 12 inches with outdoor use, spring bloom, loam soil and moderate watering. The star line is 3.0 from three reviews, which is a thin file for a tree you may keep for decades. One UK buyer received a green plant and later reported it dead after keeping it indoors in dampish soil with light but not direct sun; the listing says outdoor, which matches RHS-style advice rather than a windowsill. Another review called the arrival very small and suited to bonsai, which describes scale, not a trained bonsai product. A bullet claims hardy in the UK and grown from seed in Norwich. That is seller wording, not proof this parcel will reach the RHS ultimate size of 8–12 m. Compared with every seed packet here, you skip sowing and waiting on germination, but you still wait years before a serious flower show. Akplants' own site listed a similar 9–12 inch plant at about £9.95 and showed sold out while the Amazon shelf sat at about £12.50 on the date we checked.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want Cercis siliquastrum as a plant rather than seed and you will grow it outdoors from day one.
Less suitable: You need flowers this decade, a proven nursery cultivar, or a long-term patio tree without planting out.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this a plant or a packet of seed?
The listing type is a tree sapling, one item, made by Akplants. The title is Judas Tree Sapling, Cercis siliquastrum.
Can this sapling grow in a pot?
The amazon.co.uk listing asks the question and does not answer it. The use field says outdoor. One UK review kept the plant indoors and it died.
How tall is the plant on the listing?
The listing field is 12 inches. That is the stated plant height, not a mature-size figure. A reviewer said it arrived very small.
At about £2.96 for ten Cercis chinensis seeds, this is the lowest shelf price in the Judas tree comparison on amazon.co.uk. The title uses Chinese Judas tree wording for the Chinese redbud, which the RHS gives as roughly 2.5–4 m ultimate height, smaller than Cercis siliquastrum at 8–12 m. The use field says outdoor and sunlight says partial shade, which fits Hayloft's note that smaller Cercis species suit constrained sites better than the tall Judas tree. There is no star line and no review text in the raw file. A compact patio cultivar such as Avondale is not what arrives from a species seed packet, and this ASIN is not Avondale named in the title. Bullets and attributes repeat the year-round flowering field seen on other Ipsa listings, which you should not read as continuous bloom in a UK garden. For best value in this narrow set, the award means the smallest cash outlay for a named Cercis species with outdoor on the listing, not a germination guarantee. If you need the true Judas tree or a reviewed packet, spend more or buy the sapling row instead.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the cheapest named Cercis seed in this grid and you accept zero buyer evidence.
Less suitable: You need Cercis siliquastrum specifically or a packet with UK review texts.
Specifications
Common questions
Can these be grown in pots?
The listing asks and does not answer. The use attribute says outdoor.
Does the packet need full sun?
The question is unanswered. The sunlight attribute says partial shade.
How many seeds are in the pack?
The title and the piece count both say 10. Item weight is 20 g. There is no review text in the raw file.
This Ipsa packet sells 15 Cercis canadensis seeds under the words Canadian Judas tree at about £4.42. That name is the shop label for the eastern redbud, a related species that Hayloft describes as slightly smaller than Cercis siliquastrum and often happier in dappled shade. The listing gives partial shade, moderate watering and the same indoor and outdoor sowing windows as the other Ipsa rows. There is no star line and no review text in the raw file, so hardiness, germination and pack accuracy are unverified buyer stories. RHS lists Forest Pansy as a canadensis cultivar with purple leaves; a species seed packet is not that cultivar. If you searched for a Judas tree and meant Cercis siliquastrum, this ASIN is the wrong plant despite the shared English name. If you wanted an eastern redbud from a low cash outlay and you accept an unreviewed packet, the price sits between the cheapest chinensis seed and the SAFLAX siliquastrum bag.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want eastern redbud seed for a dappled site and you checked the Latin name.
Less suitable: You wanted the true Judas tree, Cercis siliquastrum, and did not read the title.
Specifications
Common questions
Which species is in the packet?
The title says Cercis canadensis, Canadian Judas tree, as seeds. That is the eastern redbud, not Cercis siliquastrum.
Can it be grown indoors?
The listing asks and does not answer in prose. The planting attribute allows January to December indoors and April to August outdoors.
Does it need a lot of sunlight?
The question is unanswered. The sunlight attribute says partial shade.
Seeds & Plants Shop by Ipsa lists 30 Cercis siliquastrum seeds at about £9.56, which is the dearest siliquastrum packet in this amazon.co.uk set. The title matches the Judas tree species, and the listing gives partial shade, moderate watering and sowing windows of indoors all year and outdoors April to August. Item weight is 50 g for 30 seeds, and a bullet claims fresh seed and a high germination rate without a percentage. The raw file has no star line and no customer review text, so you are buying seller claims only. A storage note says opened bags kept dry and dark for at least a year, and a dispatch note mentions shipping from abroad and a Germany-wide compact letter, which is a clue about fulfilment rather than UK nursery stock. The flowering attribute says year round, which is a listing field, not the RHS spring calendar for a mature Judas tree. Compared with the SAFLAX packet you pay more than double for half the seed count and less public evidence. If you need English instructions and a review trail before you pay, this row is weaker than the SAFLAX file, for all that file's germination complaints.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want siliquastrum seed with sowing months on the page and you accept zero buyer texts.
Less suitable: You need reviews or the lowest price per seed in this set.
Specifications
Common questions
Can these seeds be grown in a pot?
The listing asks and does not answer. It does say seed can be sown indoors from January to December.
Does the listing say full sun?
It asks whether the plant needs full sun and does not answer. The sunlight attribute says partial shade.
Are there reviews?
The raw file has no star line and no review text. A bullet claims fresh seed and a high germination rate, with no percentage.
Five amazon.co.uk listings were scored from the stored pages and the review notes for those ASINs. This is not a lab test and not a germination trial. A bullet such as hardy in the UK, fresh seed or a high germination rate is the listing claim, not a measured result for your garden. Weights sum to 100. The highest score is the top pick. The highest value score among the rest is the best value, once each.
Listing fit
35%A living Cercis siliquastrum scores above a seed packet of the wrong species or a packet with no reviews. Points come off for unanswered pot questions, year-round bloom fields that are not an RHS calendar, and species packets sold as a Judas tree when they are C. canadensis or C. chinensis.
Amazon evidence
25%The star line on amazon.co.uk, then a deduction when the sample is tiny or when written reviews contradict the product job. B00NOTPDGU is 3.1 from 100 ratings, but the texts lean to failed germination, so the review-outcome part of that block is capped.
Review outcome
25%Healthy arrival, clear English instructions and a fair pack count score up. Indoor death on an outdoor listing, mould, a short seed count and a German-only sheet score down. No star line means 0 in this block.
Value
15%Shelf price in GBP against what the listing actually states in this narrow set. The cheapest seed is not best value when reviews describe failure. The only sapling is mid-band here, and it is the only plant.
Name the species before you compare the price. Cercis siliquastrum is the Judas tree. Cercis canadensis is the eastern redbud and Cercis chinensis is the Chinese redbud, even when the title says Judas tree. On this page the shelf runs from about £2.96 for ten chinensis seeds to about £12.50 for one 12-inch siliquastrum sapling. A seed packet is not a flowering tree. Premium flowering trees and named cultivars such as Bodnant and Avondale are not in the kept ASINs.
A Judas tree in UK garden use is Cercis siliquastrum, a deciduous small tree in the pea family. Leaves are heart-shaped. Flowers are rosy-pink and pea-shaped on older wood. It is also called the love tree. The RHS lists chalk, clay, loam or sand, any pH, well-drained soil, and marks drought resistance as yes. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. Oxford's Plants 400 note says that in Britain the leaves usually appear before the flowers.
The Akplants use field says outdoor. One UK review kept the plant indoors in dampish soil and later reported it dead. A windowsill is not the site the listing describes, and H5 does not make a young plant in a pot safe in every UK frost.
Three Ipsa listings carry a year-round flowering field. That is an attribute on the page, not the RHS spring calendar for a mature Judas tree. Oxford notes that in Britain the leaves of Cercis siliquastrum usually appear before the flowers.
Bodnant and Avondale Award of Garden Merit notes do not transfer to unnamed seed. Forest Pansy is a purple-leaved canadensis cultivar, not a species packet. Planting too deep, moving the tree later, and heavy pruning before flowering are the other repeats in the sources.
The first line on the title is the Latin name. Cercis siliquastrum is the Judas tree, also called the love tree, with rosy-pink pea flowers on older wood. Cercis canadensis is the eastern redbud. Hayloft describes it as slightly smaller, finishing its flowers before the leaves, and happier in dappled shade. Cercis chinensis is the Chinese redbud, which the RHS gives as about 2.5–4 m, H5, and better with shelter on a west or south aspect.
Give Cercis siliquastrum full sun or partial shade, shelter from frost pockets, and free-draining soil. Waterlogged ground is the failure mode the sources repeat. The RHS marks drought resistance as yes once the tree is established, on chalk, clay, loam or sand at any pH. Young plants are more tender than the H5 label, which means hardy in most of the UK in a severe winter, about -15°C to -10°C, in the ground. A first-year seedling in a pot is outside that promise.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want spring colour and you can leave Cercis siliquastrum in the ground. The Akplants sapling is the top pick at about £12.50, the only living plant in the set, listed at 12 inches and outdoor. The star line is 3.0 from three reviews, including one indoor-death report, and flowers are still years away.
You will treat germination as uneven and you want the Judas tree species, not a redbud. The SAFLAX packet is 60 Cercis siliquastrum seeds at about £4.55, 3.1 from 100 ratings. The written reviews are dominated by no germination and mould, so this is a low-cost trial, not a border for next spring.
You want a named Cercis species and you accept zero buyer texts. The best value is ten Cercis chinensis seeds at about £2.96. That is the Chinese redbud, smaller than C. siliquastrum, and it is not the patio cultivar Avondale. There is no star line in the raw file.
The top pick is the Akplants Judas tree sapling at about £12.50. It is the only living Cercis siliquastrum in this amazon.co.uk set, listed at 12 inches with outdoor use and spring flowering, at 3.0 from three reviews. One UK review reports death after the plant was kept indoors, and a sapling is still years from a serious flower show. The best value is the Ipsa packet of ten Cercis chinensis seeds at about £2.96. That award is the lowest cash for a named species with outdoor on the listing, not a germination promise, and the raw file has no reviews.
Ipsa Chinese redbud seeds (10)
Lowest shelf price in the set, about £2.96 for ten Cercis chinensis seeds. No reviews, and the packet is not Avondale.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for this set on 19 October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the UK listing lines. We did not run a lab test or a germination trial.
