Some weeping trees display a singular biological phenomenon in which , when young , they lack the will to stand upright . alternatively , they droop and grow horizontally unless staked . The weeping blue atlas true cedar is one of these special character , and this trait leave miraculous opportunities for training this Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree into various shapes .
Weepingblue atlas cedar trees(Cedrus atlantica’Glauca Pendula ' , USDA hardiness zone 6 to 8) are commonly pruned to cascade over paries or regulate into snaky forms so that their body wind or curve like a serpent . It can also be rail as an espalier to grow in a more 2 - 500 bod unconditional against a paries or supporting structure .
About the Blue Atlas Cedar
The blue atlas cedar , with its lovely silver - blue needle , has pliable branches that peculiarly suit it and other tree diagram like it to be pruned into shapes . Furthermore , it is a weeping species with a ontogenesis habit that lacks geotropism , which is the natural propensity for a plant to maturate up .
reckon of most industrial plant in your garden that , if they go down on their side , the top of their stems turn upward . Not dependable with the tears class of the blue atlas cedar , accord to theUniversity of Arkansas .
When you get your hired man on a tears blue atlas cedar , take care to find a landscape painting location where it can be a specimen Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and where it has plenty of way to disseminate . It need well - enfeeble territory in a full - sun positioning .
It prefers acid soil contain loam , but it is somewhat exonerative about dirt type and can raise in Lucius Clay or sandy soil with achromatic pH if that is what your garden has .
It also needs support to aid you take shape it into the frame you want .
Basic Pruning Concepts
start out by staking the primary trunk , which is less like a automobile trunk to start and more like a magnanimous branch . The goal is to re - establish " apical authority , " in which a fundamental leader grows unsloped ; otherwise , the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree will cringe along the ground and propagate out horizontally .
Staking a tears tree to develop an upright trunk takes time and attention . This tree has a fast growth rate and needs to be regularly inspected to ensure that the weeping tip of the developing " trunk " is bond to the stake or support .
It ’s also very important to ward off deaden the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree with the ties , which can irreparably damage it . take away ties from the bole when it can support itself vertical , keep ties only on the still - pliable part of the torso or branches .
Pruning the Blue Atlas Cedar Into Forms
Now let ’s count at how to trim the blue atlas cedar into three of its most prominent form .
Creating an Espalier Form
Books have been written over centuries about education trees into espalier forms , and the primary conception all apply to a weeping cedar . First off , you need to build the framework on which to educate your tree .
Espaliers take many forms , but a weeping cedar does not lend itself to a courtly , exact pattern like some fruit trees might ; rather , its marvelous , drooping offset should be permit space to cascade down from their financial backing without being tightly pruned .
The cardinal point about an espaliered tree diagram is that it is trained to grow against a financial backing in a 2 - D descriptor , rather than its natural 3 - 500 shape .
Here are some canonic concepts :
Creating a Serpentine Form
Many tears cedar trees are trained into a serpentine shape . This is pretty simple to do and does not necessitate a framework like an espalier does .
The hardest part might be deciding the build of the so - called serpent : you’re able to train the primary offshoot , or loss leader , to circulate a stake so that it grow into a whorled , or you’re able to train it in a across-the-board pattern .
For a simple spiral , install a secure stake or a 4 - by-4 - foot post into the ground next to the tree diagram , making sure it is solidly in the ground and capable to stick out a turn tree diagram . Choose the best leg to be the loss leader and splice it to the post .
As the loss leader spring up , encircle the stake and keep to link it so that it develop a volute blueprint . Prune off branches that get horizontally to impart only the luggage compartment .
Tip
If you desire a more complex , serpentine shape , install multiple stakes where you want the curves to grow , bond the leader to each stake in the practice you want .
When the woodwind has become set and can support its shape , remove the tie . Continue to prepare the tree to your desired height — usually at least 8 feet or taller . At that point , allow the arm to shower naturally .
Creating a Curtain Form
To create a weeping atlas curtain , train the crying cedar tree up a stake or station , either in a snaky form or as a straight bole . When the tree diagram reach its mature height , permit the branches to cascade .
The " curtain " is created by prune off some of the smaller offset from under the tree so that a beaded drapery effect is achieved .
