This member of the Pinaceae family was planted quite recently, but it is probably one of my all time favourite trees. For all of the gardens I have created, I have probably only ever planted 5 of these [maximum] in my career. [To put that in context I may have planted close to One million fagus sylvatica or 500k tilia cordata]. Maybe its the scarcity/ availability is what makes it one of the greats?
So what makes the Cedrus Atlantica Glauca great first? Apart from the Cedars being monoecious [the male/ female reproduction parts are basically in seperate flowers]. It can also take up to two years to produce seed [ to differenciate bedding can do it in three months], which is produced in cones that develop over that period before releasing. Possibly the main reason it is a rarity is because the ‘atlantica’ family can grow up to 130′ tall and around 30′ wide.
However it is simply beautiful and if I was to have a tree planted in my name – it might just be this one.
