Cercis canadensis 'Covey' is offered through retail nurseries under the trademarked name Lavender Twist™ weeping redbud. This beautiful bloomer offers a lesson in how plants are bred for consumers.

This particular cultivar was found as a chance seedling in 1960 along a road in upstate New York by a gentleman who transplanted it to the home of his sister, Connie Covey. Many years later, Covey's neighbor decided not to remove the twisty branch under an overgrown lilac that she asked him to remove. Instead, a local nurseryman contacted an Ohio nursery known for its skill in propagating woody plants to get one plant as a gift. The Ohio nurseryman became entranced with the plant and purchased it from Covey, transplanting it in Ohio to perfect his nursery's propagation techniques. Once the propagation problems were overcome, the nurseryman patented and trademarked the plant, using the cultivar name 'Covey' in honor of the source of the parent plant.