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Cedrus atlantica winter survivability in central KY

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

I'm trying to figure out if Cedrus atlantica will survive winters in central KY (zone 6b) in a somewhat open location. I really like the form and color (blue to gray) so I'd like to see this work, but I don't want to waste my money on a tree that will suffer winter burn or worse.

I understand that I'm at the edge of its hardiness, so I'm looking for real world reports. If anyone has experience with this tree in a similar climate, please let me know.

I'm also hoping for it to eventually mature as a medium to large tree.

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Comments (5)

bengz6westmd
7 years ago
They do reasonably well here in west MD, at least for a while (20 - 30 yrs). But I rarely see larger, older ones. However, below are some in a west MD (z6) cemetery that look fine. So I'd say z6 is marginal for a long life:
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
zone pushing is all a matter of micro climate ...

after years of trying.. i gave up ...

babes seem to tolerate it better ... who knows why .. less wind ... in my MI .. snow cover saves them.. but eventually they outgrow that .. and then they suffer ...

eventually.. along comes a 10 year winter ... a bad one.. and you lose stuff ...

the bottom line.. go for it .. its a great experiment... expect nothing.. and be pleasantly surprised at whatever success you get ...

the real question.. is what alternative might you have.. that offers the same color, shape and form.. but might be in a more hardy family ..

ken
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kentrees12
7 years ago
There are a few old ones in Nashville, mostly stag-headed, supposedly from borers brought on by cold stress. Who knows? lol. I've seen Cedrus libani at Bernheim south of Louisville, don't recall C.atlantica.

Sapsuckers love them. They destroyed one of my young trees, the other has made it to about 30' after 30 years, still columnar and not showing any signs of spreading. It is riddled with holes, I'm amazed it grows as well as it does.

Cold will brown the foliage, below zero can defoliate, but they usually grow new foliage. Mine has defoliated a couple times, the worst at -22F, but no wood damage. In the single digits I usually get some browning, mostly cosmetic.

If you have a large antlered rat population, be sure to cage your tree. Males love to tear up young EXPENSIVE trees showing their women how big and strong they are!
User
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Josh, I see lots of Cedrus atlantica here in NJ and Long Island from zones 6b-7b. I have one vertical grower and a weeping variety here in my Zone 7a yard without any damage from the two "polar vortex" winters, and they have done fine with our HEAVY, WET snow. They are actually almost TOO common, but I do LOVE'EM (both the vertical grower and the weeping variety). They are also really tolerant of humid, wet summers, but are also drought tolerant once established. Oh, yes, mine were BOTH rutted by bucks a few years ago but are coming along. One of the biggest mistakes I see with the planting of Cedrus in general is that they are planted ridiculously close to homes. Both C. atlantica and libani wanna be massive trees eventually.

P.S., A mature Cedar of Lebanon is an absolutely majestic sight..., one of my very favorite of trees.
josh_ky
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Thanks for the input everyone. Since the location of this tree will be an anchor point, I just don't want to chance it. It would really damage the look I'm trying to go for if it were to get blasted in an Arctic snap.

I'm going to go with an Eastern white pine from a couple seedlings I found into the forest that looked bluer than the rest. I was thinking about using Pinus strobus x P. ayacahuite 'Forest Sky', but from my reading realized it seems to be more of a strain rather than a clone. Reason I say this, is due to the clone 'Domingo'. Either way, I don't want to over pay on something with a lot variability.

I'd still like a cedar, but I'll go for a something that would be replaceable.

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