Tree Spotlight – Blue Atlas Cedar

Imagine a stately conifer tree, blue green in color, standing proudly in the landscape. For many people, what comes to mind is Colorado blue spruce. Those are great trees, but it turns out they often struggle with the dry heat we experience in the Albuquerque area. However – there is a better alternative!

The blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica) is one of the three true cedar species in the world, all of which are Old World plants. Some botanists consider the blue Atlas cedar to be a subspecies of the cedar of Lebanon, evolved to higher dry mountain regions of northern Africa. All the cedar species are large, stately evergreens often used in landscape planting. 

Blue Atlas cedars come in a few types, including weeping forms (see front page photo).  The standard upright form is quite nice and will get bigger than the weeping form.  There is also a golden-leaved variety and a semi-dwarf variety, meaning there is one for almost any taste and landscape type.

These trees have few disease and insect problems for us. They will suffer from water-logged soils, though, so avoid overwatering them on heavy clay soils. Sapsuckers feed on tree sap early in the season when insects are not as abundant, creating horizontal lines of shallow pits in the bark. This does not really damage the tree unless it completely girdles the trunk, which is rare. Talk to Legacy Tree Company about planting one in your yard!

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