Ornamental Cedar Trees Provide Elegant Year-Round Greenery
Ornamental cedar trees are everywhere you look, and there is a good reason for that; they provide elegant year-round greenery, privacy, and they are also reasonably resistant to pests. There are even varieties of cedar plants that produce oils that repel mosquitoes! They can grow up to two feet a year and respond well to hedging. Cedars can also offer you an opportunity to be creative in how you hedge them.
Because they are so fast-growing, they are better suited for larger properties or areas. If the cedars are pruned too aggressively, brown or dead spots may result that could take years to recover. Poor pruning in the photo below caused the large brown spots that have still not recovered after three growing seasons. Over-pruning in the same spot repeatedly will cause those spots to become permanent.
Soils for Cedars
Cedars thrive in organic-rich, well-drained soil that is not overly dry. Cedars should be planted where they have at least six hours of sunlight a day. While they are drought tolerant, they require good watering practices, at least weekly when young and occasionally during extended periods of dry weather. You will often see groups of ornamental cedars that are brown and look sick, due to lack of watering, environmental stresses, disease, poor soil, or poor pruning practises. If less than half the branches are brown you may be able to revive these plants with a deep watering, also check the area around the base of the plant to ensure there’s good drainage. If more than half of the plant looks dead and deep watering does not revive the plant, sorry – you are best off to cut your losses and remove the mostly dead tree because it is unlikely to ever be a healthy plant again. Fortunately, because cedars of every variety have shallow roots, they are easy to remove.
By: Tonia Jurbin P. Eng. (retired)
Improperly pruned Cedar Trees
showing brown spots.
