Mississippi
Gardens
Newsletter ArchivesDeodar
Cedar is impressive and unique
Mississippi Gardens Newspaper and Web Column - February 3, 2003
When I was a boy, our family had a beautiful evergreen tree situated on the corner of our property. Its attractive shape and dense canopy of blue-green, short-needled branches made it a very impressive and quite unique specimen in our front yard. Our neighbor had the only other one in the area, but nobody really knew what kind of trees they were.
Hurricane
Camille turned ours over on its side and being beyond repair, it had
to be removed. It was years later while attending Mississippi State University
that I discovered our beloved tree was an excellent example of Deodar
Cedar.
Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara) is a native of the Himalayan Mountains of Afghanistan and Nepal where it grows so big that it's used for saw-timber. It was introduced to America in 1831. This tree is an ideal choice for southern lawns, gardens and parks that have sufficient space for this large growing cedar that can reach heights of 40 to 70 feet at maturity with a basal spread of 30 to 40 feet. In our climate, it may take 40 years to mature.
The Deodar Cedar has some special characteristics that set it apart from other well-known evergreen trees commonly used for landscaping. It has a natural tendency to grow in pyramidal fashion. This gives it the appearance of a Christmas tree without the traditional pruning required by other popular seasonal trees like Virginia Pine and Eastern Red Cedar.
Although it can get quite large, this graceful tree has sweeping pendulous branches that form horizontal tiers beginning at ground level. The unique growth habit and blue green to blue gray foliage make the Deodar Cedar an excellent landscape specimen.
The Deodar Cedar can grow in a wide range of soil types, but it performs best in a well-drained loamy soil in full sunlight. This cedar is reasonably drought tolerant, requires no pruning and has relatively few pests. Most trees available at garden centers are seedlings, which vary considerably in foliage color. You can think of it as the same plant coming in different shades of blue or gray-green. Cultivars are available that include such names as 'Kashmir' and 'Kingsville' (silvery blue-green foliage) and 'Shalimar' (blue-green).
Deodar Cedar is a tree that we could certainly use a lot more of in Mississippi landscapes. It is grown in Mississippi nurseries and is available mostly in ball-and-burlap form during the winter months. Shop now to find a Deodar Cedar to fill a spacious spot in your landscape!
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These archived columns were written by Kerry Johnson, a hobby gardener, former weekly newspaper columnist and retired Extension Horticulture Agent for 11 coastal counties in Mississippi.