Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica)
The least hardy of the cedars, the Atlas Cedar does best in zones 7 and 8. The leaves are bluish green, varying in color from light green to silvery blue. The shape is pyramidal, becoming flat-topped and spreading at maturity. The 3 inch cones add interest in the fall. In youth they have an open, irregular, erectly pyramidal shape, then they develop even more character in maturity. Fast-growing in youth, Atlas cedars slow as they age and may live for 300 years or more. They do not like to be placed in a site that is windy.
Atlas Cedar Choices
Glauca is sometimes called the Blue Cedar. Other cultivars include Argentea has silvery-blue needles; Aurea has yellowish needles, and a narrower, stiffer form than blue types; Fastigiata is upright, has bluish-green needles; Glauca Pendula is a blue cedar that has weeping branches, needs supporting stakes. It can be espaliered on a wall to great effect.
