The Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar, otherwise known as the Cedrus Atlantica ‘Glauca Fastigiata’ or Atlas Cedar ‘Glauca Pendula’, Blue Atlas Cedar ‘Glauca Pendula’, Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar, is a rather well known tree plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and fast growth, this tree will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, this is exactly what we’ll cover in this Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar Care Guide. So let’s dive in.
In order to take proper care of your Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar needs you to keep the soil sufficiently drained but evenly moist. Overwatering will kill the plant.
- Light: Keep your Cedrus Atlantica ‘Glauca Fastigiata’ in an environment where it can receive partial to full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar in soil with well-draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
And that’s practically it! If you keep these three factors in check, your Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar will likely have all it needs for it to survive and even thrive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar belongs to the Pinaceae family, the genus Cedrus and the species Atlantica, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Cedrus Atlantica ‘Glauca Fastigiata’ (SEE-drus at-LAN-tih-kuh GLAW-kuh fas-tih-jee-AY-tuh).
Other popular Pinaceae plants include species like Compact Tanyosho Japanese Red Pine, Lodgepole Pine, Abies Balsamea ‘Nana’, Pinus Mugo variety “Pumilio”, Mountain Pine ‘Carstens’, Pinus Mugo ‘Sherwood Compact’, Pinus Contorta Var. Contorta, Dwarf Blue Rocky Mountain Fir, FIRE N ICE Pieris, Horstmann’s Silberlocke Korean Fir, Lantana Camara ‘Monike’ Plant Patent #17,612, Serbian Spruce ‘Aurea’, Photinia X Fraseri, Swamp Spruce ‘Nana’, Rocky Mountain Pine, North American Pumpkin Pine ‘Nana’, Baltic Redwood ‘Glauca’, Physocarpus Opulifolius ‘Zleyel2’ Plant Patent Applied For, Austrian Pine, Loblolly Pine, Pinus Mugo ‘Mops’, Nidiformis Norway Spruce, Pumila Norway Spruce, Archer’s Dwarf White Fir, Alberta Spruce ‘Echiniformis’ and Golden Himalayan Cedar.
As with other Cedrus’s, the Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar is an evergreen plant, which means it will be present year round in your garden.
Growing Region
You might be wondering why your Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar’s native region is important. Well, if you know where your plant originally came from, you’ll know which environment conditions it prefers, and with it, knowledge on how to replicate it at home.
With this in mind, the Cedrus Atlantica ‘Glauca Fastigiata’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 6 – 9 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8b, 8a and the ideal climate zone is between 3, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But what exactly does this mean for your Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar? How large a pot should you consider, how tall, how wide can it get? Let’s jump in…
The Cedrus Atlantica ‘Glauca Fastigiata’ can grow up to 3′ – 12′ (90cm – 3.6m) in 3′ – 12′ (90cm – 3.6m) and 3′ – 12′ (90cm – 3.6m) in 3′ – 12′ (90cm – 3.6m).
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful columnar shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
Water
In terms of watering, the Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar is a fairly complicated plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a not so straightforward watering schedule and somewhat irregular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Cedrus Atlantica ‘Glauca Fastigiata’ needs you to keep the soil sufficiently drained but evenly moist. Overwatering will kill the plant.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar in soil with well-draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
But, if you want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to watering your Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar then you should consider the famous ‘finger’ test. To perform this test, you just need to put your finger in your plant’s soil and determine if it’s moist or not. If it is, then don’t water; if it isn’t, then please do. In any case, this test will allow you to know if your Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar needs or does not need water, every time.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar prefers to have soil with good drainage properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of clay, loam, chalk, and sand.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar requires partial to full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this tree will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Cedrus Atlantica ‘Glauca Fastigiata’ in full and direct sun (more than 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being an evergreen plant, the Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar will be present year round in your garden.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (early, mid, late), the summer (early, mid, late), the fall, and during the winter.
Foliage
The leaves from the Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar have a beautiful green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a needles arrangement with a whorled organization in its leaves.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar is well known for its tolerance to drought conditions, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Cedrus Atlantica ‘Glauca Fastigiata’ will be fine.
Garden
Does your Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar have any garden recommendations? Does it serve any gardening purposes? Here’s how you can get the most out of your new plant.
Most Cedrus Atlantica ‘Glauca Fastigiata’ owners agree that this tree will look great in most contemporary and rustic gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of informal and cottage, and in traditional garden styles.
In particular, the Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar’s best use for landscaping within your garden is as specimen, or a woodland garden.
Companion Plants
Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Acer, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Azalea will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
So that’s it! These are the main plant care requirements that you need to keep in mind in order to have a healthy Columnar Blue Atlas Cedar in your garden or home.
