Conifer
Glauca Pendula
Cedrus atlantica
A dramatic, sculptural evergreen conifer with striking silvery-blue needles and a strongly weeping habit. Left unstaked, 'Glauca Pendula' cascades along the ground; trained upward on a stake, it forms an undulating, serpentine trunk with branches draping downward, creating one of the most architectural evergreen forms available. The powder-blue foliage provides striking year-round color contrast against green-leaved plantings.
Growing Specifications
- Height
- Variable with staking height and age
- Spread
- Variable with staking height and age
- Watering
- Moderate during establishment; drought-tolerant once mature, intolerant of standing water
- Light
- Full Sun
- Heat Tolerance
- Good once established; native to the Atlas Mountains and well adapted to hot, dry conditions with good drainage
- Growth Rate
- Slow to Moderate
- Soil Requirement
- Well-draining soil is essential; sensitive to waterlogged or heavy, poorly-drained clay
North Texas Micro-climate Notes
Excellent drainage is the single most important factor for this cultivar in North Texas clay soils — plant on a raised mound or heavily amended bed to avoid root rot. Once established, it handles full sun and heat well.
Care Instructions
Plant on a raised, well-draining mound to keep the root crown free of standing water. Stake a central leader early if a taller, more sculptural form is desired, and continue guiding the leading growth as the tree matures. Water deeply but infrequently once established.
Landscape Usage
A premier sculptural focal point for a prominent bed, staged over a retaining wall or berm where its cascading branches can drape freely, or trained as a dramatic architectural specimen near an entryway.
Fun Fact
Like other strongly weeping conifers in the collection, the ultimate form of this tree depends heavily on staking: left to its own devices it becomes a cascading ground-hugging specimen, while staking early creates the tall, sculptural, undulating form it is best known for.
