skip to main content

Training Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar

13 years ago

I have a Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar that has over taken my yard. The cedar was planted by the previous owners. I love it and do not want to get rid of it. I just need some suggestion on how to prune and train it properly. It currently stands 5ft tall and is about 12ft long. Thank you for your help and suggestions.

Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years ago
hey miss myl

its hard to give pruning advice without a picture ...

and without any thoughts on your part as to where you want to go with it ...

you need a picture hosting site like photobucket .. to get pic in your posts ....

regardless.. the happiest day of my life in my first new home.. was when i got rid of all the prior owners nightmares.. and started creating my own ... unfortunately it took me 5 years of trying to fix the old problems.. before wisdom set in ...

for under 50 bucks you can be done with the monster .... and plant a babe duplicate.. and start afresh.. instead of perhaps torturing this one into a shape that it can not achieve ...

all that said .... a pic might make me think it is extremely valuable.. and in need of just a little training ....

who knows based on the facts you provided... so how about that pic???? [and no, i dont want it sent to my private email]

ken
dcsteg
13 years ago
In the case of this conifer what is the norm for being trained properly. There is none. This probably one of the most abused conifers for sale. I have seen them tied in knots to any other imaginative thing possible.

It could be beautiful as is with a few adjustments provided the previous owner didn't destroy it with some ridiculous presentation.

Post a photo and you will get some interesting feedback.

Dave
Related Discussions
Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar
Q
Comments (2)
Resin, I have a lot of conifers. A Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar is one I have chosen not to grow. There is a limit as to what will fit in my garden. This one is over the top as far as I'm concerned. Then again, I don't want to grow and appreciate all my trees as if they were eventually going to the lumbermill. ;-)
...See More
Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar 'Glauca Pendula' (Cedrus atlantica)
Q
Comments (22)
Thanks any of those trees would be good. I will make a note of them. I am going to put it near the deck, so I don't want one that would have a branches over hanging the deck or a fire danger problem. I never knew they could be so small. If it's near to the deck it would easier to run a cord out for Christmas lights, but maybe I can get solar powered ones? That should be the new thing in lights. But eventually, we are going to remove the deck anyway and make the deck smaller, so I can have more planting room. I like the tiny rock garden trees also, but they are very hard to find, the website said. They look like pin cushions. We have a lot of Monterrey Pines in San Francisco. They grow very fast and do a lot of damage to sideways the foundations of houses, and they are not very attractively shaped either. They even grow as weeds around here. We also have a lot of Norfolk Island Trees. They are big and people top them, and then they really look terrible. It's hard to see a healthy conifer in my area. The next most popular tree is the some kind of Cypress. I don't think we are as ideal as the Northwest for conifers.
...See More
Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar Advice (Photos Included)
Q
Comments (17)
Canyon- Thanks for the input. What you don't see is a small tree that's probably 40 feet straight ahead of that window. Not sure what it is, it has purple leaves in the summer and right now has beautiful pink flowers. Unfortunately, they only last about a week each spring! In the summer, you can only see that bay window from one direction. My thought process was to have this weep out and over the bed and a part of the lawn area. Walking up my path to the front steps, this will be on full display behind the crimson queen maple on the corner that turns a fantastic bright red in season. I thought the contrast of that with the golden mops and WBAC and Colorado Blue Spruce on the end would make a nice array of color contrast. That bay window is a solid 8 or 9 feet from the ground at the midpoint. It's about 2.5 feet out from the bay window also (And 4 feet from the foundation.) Unless I'm totally missing something (which very well could be the case!) I don't think it will ever block much, if any sunlight or the view, unless I just let it grow straight up without training it outward. Again, trying to learn as I go here. I actually did the entire other side of my house about 4 years ago and that's really starting to fill in nicely. I'm not one to just plant something and walk away. I carefully prune everything (including a cool topiary on the far left that you can just make out in the first photo) at least 3 times a year. That one keeps my on my toes as the Pom's can get out of control pretty quickly during growth periods. Sara - Wow! I saw your 2 WBAC's in the archway in background of that one photo.. absolutely stunning! And Thank you for the tips on pruning, I will absolutely look further into them, much appreciated! I really truly do appreciate all the insights from everyone.. thanks again! Keep em' coming!!!
...See More
Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar training help
Q
Comments (0)
Hey, new to the forum. I recently purchased a weeping blue atlas cedar and Im looking for some advice. It was trained into a serpentine shape and is now about 4 feet tall. Whoever trained it didnt keep up with it and the main leader is thick and heading back towards the ground. I recently tried to wire to get the leader going back up to continue the serpentine, but i am wondering if my wiring could hurt the tree too much. Please help, love this tree and wouldnt want to lose it! Should I chop main leader and try to train the one it gets replaced with?
...See More
beth4
13 years ago
Ken & Dave,

I have 2 weeping blue atlas cedars my landscaper planted in my yard in 2005. I'll take photos tomorrow so you can advise how best to train them. I've purchased the metal "bamboo" poles and the soft tape...but am not sure how best to tie the trees limbs to the poles....they want to slide down the poles.

I don't want to tie the limbs so tight that the branches are damaged. For the past 5 years, I've let the trees do their own thing...and it's really worked out well for the tree over the pond. But, I'm thinking long term and want to train them correctly....especially the tree in the front of my house where the space is more limited because the tree is planted close to the driveway. So...photos coming tomorrow, and I'll appreciate any advice and "how to" details you can give me.

Beth in Utah...who continues to learn about gardening :)

Sign Up to Comment

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Cedrus Atlantica ‘Glauca’

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

With its blue foliage and variety of shapes, blue atlas cedar earns its place in the sun

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Larix Decidua ‘Pendula’

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Soft, graceful and sculptural, weeping larch is a star in northern U.S. gardens

LANDSCAPE DESIGN 10 Evergreens for Beautiful Foliage All Year

Give your landscape consistent color and structure with the emeralds, chartreuses and blues of evergreen trees and shrubs

LANDSCAPE DESIGN The Weepers and the Creepers: 10 Intriguing Trees for Your Garden

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Bring something a little different to your landscape with a tree that dives, twists or crawls

PLANTING IDEAS Designing With Conifers: Exploring Color

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Colorful, structural and adaptable, conifers are waiting to transform your garden

PLANTING IDEAS Designing With Conifers: Layers of Texture for Your Garden

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Sharp and prickly or fine like ferns, richly textured conifers bring unexpected interest to the landscape

LANDSCAPE DESIGN For Garden Drama, Consider the Lowly Boulder

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

A boulder can be a thing of beauty in the landscape. Here are 10 ways to display them to full effect

LANDSCAPE DESIGN How to Make Your Painted or Stained House Feel at Home in the Landscape

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Use color and texture to create a pleasing connection between your house and garden

LANDSCAPE DESIGN How to Incorporate Your Roofing Into the Landscape

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Choose hardscape and plantings that work with your roof’s color, texture, shape and line

PLANTING IDEAS Designing With Conifers: Personality and Form in the Garden

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Unique and full of interest, well-shaped conifers await a place your yard

Sponsored

More Discussions

Doing Soil Tests on Soil-Less Container Media

14

Loblolly pine in wet soil?

3

Cicadas and Newly Planted Trees

12

What's next? small weeping white spruce (picea glauca pendula).

6

Plum yew 'Harrington' & Canaan firs

5