Height: 40 feet Spread: 30 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 6a Description: One of the most valuable landscape trees in the South, with a wide, spreading habit and silvery-blue needles, incredibly stately when mature; leave a very large open space for this tree to reach its peak value in maturity Ornamental Features Cedar, Blue Atlas is primarily valued in the landscape for its characteristic tiered habit of growth. It has attractive blue evergreen foliage. The needles are highly ornamental and remain blue throughout the winter. However, the fruit can be messy in the landscape and may require occasional clean-up. Landscape Attributes Cedar, Blue Atlas is an open evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a stunning habit of growth which features almost oriental horizontally-tiered branches. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics. Cedar, Blue Atlas is recommended for the following landscape applications; Planting & Growing Cedar, Blue Atlas will grow to be about 40 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 5 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more. This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should be periodically fertilized throughout the active growing season with a specially-formulated acidic fertilizer. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets. Special Attributes These evergreens do shed inside foliage in the autumn or spring. Cedars have male and female reproductive parts on one tree. 1 3/4-2 inch Male flowers are catkins or pollen cones and are on lower branches in autumn. Blue female cones grow upright on higher branches getting 3 3/4 inches, taking 2 years to mature. Evergreens need to be watered during the winter. Our desert climate especially in late winter to early spring evergreens can suffer during next growing season. An easy way to remember check for dryness on the holidays Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Year's Day, Valentines Day & Easter.
