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| We removed a shrub from the front of the house and now we are starting to consider a replacement for that spot. The spot is part of a bed in front of the house and the dimension is 6 ft deep and 8 ft wide. I am considering a young weeping Atlas cedar (4 ft tall) but I wonder if it will quickly become way too large for the spot. I enjoy pruning and training young trees so as long as it will stay reasonably confined in this space with pruning it will work for us. However, I haven't been able to find much information about whether pruning will destroy the shape and not enhance it. Any suggestions? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Aug 5, 12 at 18:40
| so are you saying.. you will plant it 3 to 4 feet from the house??? googling your common name .. came up with a latin name.... Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca Pendula' and googling that.. see link ... do you think you can tame that into a space 3 to 4 feet from the front door ... and if that is not the plant.. we need an ID ... and peeps here can do that with a pic.. if there is no better name on a tag ... ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
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| Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca Pendula' is the plant I'm thinking of. It won't be near the front door. The tree will be 2 ft from the house but there is 8ft of space for it to spread sideways. I've googled the photos before and yes some of the big specimens are rather giant. However, I don't know how old those are and I assume they are not pruned at all. Just want to know if pruning is used by anyone so it fits into their landscaping. |
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- Posted by formandfoliage 9b (Sunset zone 15) (My Page) on Sun, Aug 5, 12 at 20:47
| You can prune it and you can also stake it up for as far as you can (or want) so that it doesn't start to weep until it hits that point. I have a pair on either side of my front door and you will see from the photo below that they have now met at the top and I am going to have to figure out what to do now! I trained them up in serpentine fashion on either side of the door before I let them go across the top. Eight feet will give you some room to play with, and they are slow growing. Someone else may be able to give you a better idea of how much time you have before it eats your house! Sara ps the plant's correct name is Cedrus libani var. atlantica 'Glauca Pendula' - been reclassified. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Cedrus at front entry
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| formandfoliage, oh wow those photos are beautiful! How fast do Cedrus Glauca Pendula grow for you? I assume you have them in full sun. |
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- Posted by formandfoliage 9b (Sunset zone 15) (My Page) on Sun, Aug 5, 12 at 22:16
| I planted them 12/3/05 as #15s. The house faces south so yes, they are in full sun year-round. I have never fertilized them or amended the soil and they have never had even a hint of a problem. I love the plant - so sculptural and malleable. I have one at the entrance to our ranch (see photo) - it used to be in the display garden at a local nursery but it grew out into the parking lot and scratched some cars and people complained. The nursery manager, a friend of mine, told me that if I could get it out of there, I could have it. Needless to say, I moved heaven and earth and then the Cedrus. It transplanted beautifully. Give one a try - they are fun plants to grow. Sara  |
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| Cedrus can be kept quite small with skillful annual pruning. However, if you are here in the Pacific Northwest or in another area that has the same problem many of these are displaying variably sized but often numerous and more or less evenly dispersed areas of blighted foliage in recent years, which quite spoils their appearance. |
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| bboy, I am actually at the middle of the east coast. Our summer is hot and humid but the rest of the year is fairly nice. What causes the blighted foliage? Fungal disease? One of my neighbors has a small one and it seems to be fairly happy even in bright shade under tall deciduous trees. Sara, wow that is a beauty too. I can't imagine what you went through to move it to your place though. |
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- Posted by formandfoliage 9b (Sunset zone 15) (My Page) on Mon, Aug 6, 12 at 10:56
| The key with pruning is what bboy mentioned - annual. Don't let pruning on a woody plant get out of hand. You want to do small pruning frequently rather than wait till the plant is way beyond where you want it and then hack at it viciously. I think that the needle blight is more frequently associated with wet, cool weather (like our spring here and even more so in the PNW), not the steamy summers you have in the mid Atlantic. Re: the tree move - my husband and I drove up to the nursery one rainy morning in our pickup with dump wagon attached and met two of the nursery workers there, who dug it out for us for a very modest fee and loaded it into the wagon. It had a tiny pancake of a rootball and we were able to muscle it upright and get it staked and then just mound soil around the base. My arborist friend keeps checking it and says it is doing great. You can shape them in so many different ways. If you Google the plant or even do a search on this forum you'll see tons of photos of how they have been shaped and pruned. Have fun! |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Aug 6, 12 at 12:03
| it was a terminal plant in my z5 ... MI ... have you told us specifically where you are ... if so.. i missed it ... to be frank.. do whatever pleases you all i want to repeat.. is that you have a space.. for a small dwarf ... you you are contemplating a monster ... if you want to force a certain aesthetic on a plant ... i suggest it is easier.. starting with a small one.. so you can guide it where you want it to go ... regardless .. you have fun with whatever you decide .. btw.. i dont think there are dwarf versions of this particular plant... might want to start a new post and ask such.. ken |
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- Posted by plantman56 z6 PA (My Page) on Sat, Aug 11, 12 at 22:02
| Go to by picture and post - You do not have enough room |
Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Web
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- Posted by coniferjoy 10 (info@edwinsmitsconifers.com) on Sun, Aug 12, 12 at 5:01
| In 2010 I came across this "Monster" during the British- and Dutch Conifer Societies field trip in France. Look how big it can become! Cedrus libani var. atlantica 'Glauca Pendula'  |
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| That photo is breathtaking! |
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| Very nice! I like that Gunnera in front of it too. Mike |
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- Posted by coniferjoy 10 (info@edwinsmitsconifers.com) on Mon, Aug 13, 12 at 16:20
| Did anyone noticed the "knees" of the Taxodium? They're almost comming out of this pic... |
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