Deodar

Deodar: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Tree of 20–35 m with a conical crown of about 12 m; the branch tips droop gracefully and the leader nods.

Needles

2.5–5 cm, the longest of the cedars, fairly soft, green to grey-green; in tufts on short shoots and single on young shoots. Evergreen.

Bark

Dark grey to brownish-black, cracked into small plates.

Cones

Upright and barrel-shaped, 7–12 cm, with a rounded tip; blue-green and bloomy when young.

Difference from Atlas cedar

Atlas cedar has shorter, stiff needles and obliquely rising branches and leader.

Difference from cedar of Lebanon

The cedar of Lebanon has shorter, stiff needles and flat, horizontal tiers.

Pruning: August–September

Identify by feature: Soft needles · Needles in bundles

Looks like it, but isn’t

• Atlas cedar Cedrus atlantica: shorter, stiff needles and obliquely rising branches and leader. Difference from Atlas cedar
• Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani: shorter, stiff needles and flat, horizontal tiers. Difference from cedar of Lebanon
• Cedar Cedrus: the page for the whole genus, with what all cedars have in common.

Why grow it?

• The softest needles and the most graceful shape of all the cedars, with drooping branch tips.
• Grows in almost any free-draining soil, acid or chalky.
• Little pruning needed.
• Graceful even when young, with its typical hanging branch tips.

Deodar: where does it grow best?

• Full sun; in shade it becomes thin.
• Any free-draining soil that neither dries out nor stays wet; chalk is no problem.
• A spot out of cold east and north winds helps young trees through severe winters.
• Allow for 20–35 m in height and a crown of about 12 m: only for a park or a large garden, well away from the house.

Light

Full sun

Legal basis

Any garden soil

Moisture

Normal

Size

30 m tall, 12 m wide

Hardiness

Throughout Belgium, no protection needed

Goes well with

• Silver birch: White trunks and light foliage next to the soft green, drooping cedar.
• Sweetgum: A park tree with fiery autumn colour, lovely next to the evergreen needles.
• Winter heath: A low ground cover for the sunny edge outside the crown, which flowers in winter and tolerates chalk.

Good and bad companions

Goes well with

• Tolerate the shade under this tree: oregon grape, rhododendron, oleaster, japanese skimmia, garden privet, camellia, laurustinus, box-leaved honeysuckle

Deodar: when and how to plant it?

1. Plant preferably in April: a young tree then has the whole summer to root in before its first winter. September is also possible.
2. Choose a young pot-grown tree: a cedar dislikes having its roots disturbed.
3. Tease out circling roots and plant at the same depth as it was in the pot.
4. Put a stake on the windward side and remove it after 2–3 years.
5. Water after planting and during dry spells in the first two summers.

Care

Watering

In dry spells during the first two years; later too in long dry summers, as it likes moister soil than the cedar of Lebanon.

Feeding

Not needed.

Mulch

A layer of wood chips around a young tree keeps the soil moist and protects the roots from frost.

Lower branches

Leave them right down to the ground: that is the beauty of a free-standing cedar.

Tip: Not enough room for a 30 m tree? Choose a low, spreading form such as ‘Golden Horizon’, with golden-yellow needles, for the front of a border or a large rock garden.

Deodar: when to prune it?

Pruning months: August–September.

When: Dead, diseased and broken branches can be removed at any time of year. Any formative pruning in late summer.

How:

• Little pruning needed. Leave the nodding leader alone: it straightens up by itself every year.
• If a branch has to go, saw it off completely, back to the trunk.
• If a young tree has two leaders, remove one in late summer.

Caution: Don’t prune into bare wood: a cedar won’t sprout from there.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Sowing

In spring, sow fresh seed from a cone that is breaking up on the tree in a pot; old seed germinates poorly.

Grafting

Special forms, such as the low-growing ‘Golden Horizon’, are propagated vegetatively by the nursery.

Deodar: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy throughout Belgium: no protection needed.

• Hardy in Belgium and the Netherlands, but the most tender of the cedars: young trees may suffer some needle damage in severe winters.
• Shake wet snow off young trees, and protect a newly planted tree in an exposed spot from cold east winds with a windbreak.

Diseases and pests

• Frost damage: Brown needles after a severe winter, especially on young trees in an exposed spot. Wait until summer before cutting anything off: the branches often sprout again.
• Aphids: Sticky honeydew and black sooty mould under the tree, sometimes with needle drop in spring. The tree usually recovers on its own.
• Honey fungus: Honey-coloured toadstools at the base and dying branches: root rot. Have an arborist check the tree’s stability.
• Waterlogged soil: Yellow needles and poor growth in soil that stays wet for long periods. Choose a free-draining site.

Through the year

• January: Shake wet snow off young trees.
• April: Best month for planting.
• June: Cut out branches that have not sprouted again after the winter.
• July: Water young trees in dry spells.
• August: Any formative pruning; remove a double leader.
• September: Formative pruning still possible; planting is also still possible.
• October: The male cones shed pollen.
• December: Protect young trees in exposed spots from cold wind.

What can you use it for?

Garden and landscape

Graceful park tree with drooping branches and the softest needles of all the cedars.

Wood

In India and Pakistan a valued, fragrant and durable building timber.

Did you know?

• The name deodara comes from Sanskrit ‘deva-daru’, the wood of the gods. In India it is used to build temples.
• The deodar is the national tree of Pakistan.
• Of all the cedars it has the longest and softest needles: up to 5 cm.