Weeping blue atlas cedar

I live in zone 10A and have wanted one of these trees for years. Finally found one and grabbed it! Wasn't too sure it would do well in my area of so. CA, but it has been in the ground for about 2 years and is doing well. Very slow growing. Does anyone have any recommendations about training it for the best display? Or what to use for staking it. Would sure appreciate anyone's experience with it.
Thanks.

Start with some kind of plan, which means you have to ask yourself a lot of questions.
What shape do you want to end up with? They can be trained into an 'umbrella', a long 'vine', a pyramid or even a ground cover of sorts.

The best way to stake is with wood. It can take years for the stem (or wood) to develop enough strength to hold itself up. The nicest ones I have seen were trained straight up to about 10-12 feet and allowed to grow limbs and needles without much pruning. You may have to prune the excess growth around the lower parts, then tend to grow most foliage low, close to the ground.

You have yourself quite a challenge. If you can find someone who has a plant like yours that has a shape you like or an experienced plant person (a local) you may find better help than anything you can find on the web.

I am not much help. Good luck. I do best with flowering plants....

Here's one of mine. I have one that gets less water and more shade and that one has virtually stayed the same size for 5 years. You need to shape them early because they do harden and then there isn't too much you can do with them. This one has had some of the hanging branches taken off so that it doesn't totally cover up the garden.

Wood is good as a trainer but if you need to do any correction it has to be at least two stakes to hold the tree in place. Use velcro or some other stretchable material as they grow quickly if given enough water. This tree is 5 years old.

This message was edited Apr 2, 2007 3:40 PM

On the other hand, here is one that is 50 years old in the neighborhood. It's at least 20 feet wide. It's pretty impressive. I have seen very old ones trained the way that Dale has suggested and they are very pretty and look like a weeping tree. The only problem with some of them it is that the bottom of them can look like an umbrella if they are trimmed up instead of thinned.

Thanks so much Doss and Dale_A_Gardener! I sure appreciate the information. We don't see alot of conifers of this type here and I think they are so beautiful! But you both have given me some excellent suggestions. I should probably be living in Oregon or Washington as I love the peonies, rhodies and big trees, but then I would miss the palm trees and tropicals! Such a dilemma. I want it all!!

Mombird

Of course you want it all. I know what you mean. You're in zone 10 and that means you are pretty tropical though mombird. I'm a hosta nut and shouldn't be growing them here either. I've decided that camellias are better than peonies and roses bloom all summer. I just don't grow English roses!

So I'm talking. I tried to grow red passion flower and it croaked the second year when it froze to death. And I've just replaced all of my limonium (sea lavender) after it froze in the cold weather this winter.

If you want to grow a big evergreen, then try a redwood. They look great with palm trees! LOL