Peter's Bonsai Blog 

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Cedars

There are 3  principal types of Cedars available.  The Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica) the Cedar of the Lebanon (Cedrus Lebani) and the Himalayan Cedar (Cedrus Deodora).  However, as if to confuse matters each of these Cedars can be known by a number of different names. To tell the three species apart, look at the shape of the trees: Atlas Cedar branches ascend, Himalayan branches descend, and Cedar of Lebanon branches are level.

The Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica) is  sometimes refered to as the Atlantic Cedar. It is normally dark green in colour, however the most commen variety is blue green in colour and is known as the Blue Atlas Cedar (Cedrus Atlantica Glauca). The Blue Cedar is probably the most dramatic and striking of all blue conifers.  It is both quick growing and sparsely furnished when young but thickens out with time.

The Cedar of the Lebanon is also dark green in colour, its branches and needles tend to grow horizontally. There is a dwarf variety of the Cedar of the Lebanon, sometimes known as the Cyprus Cedar (Cedrus Libani Brevifolia).  I think this is the most suitable variety for bonsai cultivation as it's needles are much smaller and the foliage looks much more in proportion with  the reduced scale of a bonsai tree. However, they are slow growing and finding one with a decent trunk is almost impossible.

The third variety is the Himalayan Cedar (Cedrus Deodora).  It is sometimes referred to as the Indian Cedar although they  seem to be the same variery. Its needles are quite long and it branches tend to be long and droopy.  It is not best suited to bonsai cultivation.

As Cedars are not native to the UK, the only practical source of material is from Garden Centres or specialist bonsai nurseries.  The most common variety is probably the Blue Cedar, Cedrus Altlantica Glauca. The dwarf variety Cedrus Brevifolia is very hard to find.

For all varieties, repotting will cause stress and Cedars may loose some or all of their needles. This is alarming for an evergreen plant, but it's a fairly tough species and the needles usually regrow the following spring. Although they come from a warm part of the world, Cedars thrive in most soils but they don't appreciate waterlogged ground. As usual in Scotland, we need to provide a free draining mix.

I have 3 cedars in my collection, a Brevifolia and two Blue Cedars.  They are all in the informal upright style.

I purchased the Brevifolia in 2005 from Newstead Bonsai Nursery.  It had been grown specifically as material for Bonsai.  I played around with it for a couple of years  but then planted it in the garden to try and thicken up the trunk. That didn't really work.  I found the variety to be quite slow growing and it definitely does not like to have its roots disturbed. Repotting or planting it in the ground seemed to set it back for a year.  If you are planning to repot the tree make sure you do it in April and protect the roots until the frosts are past.

This is what it looked like when I purchased the tree in 2005 and how it looked in November 2013. Notice how long the trunk was when I took it out of the pot……   Another lesson in why we should always check the nebari before buying nursery stock.

Blue Cedar Number 1

The first of the Blue Cedars was originally created by Len Gilbert.  I first saw this tree in 2008. when he brought it to Ayr to display at one of our workshops. The second image  shows the tree being displayed  at the Newstead exhibition in 2010.

The following images show how it looked when I purchased the tree in it in September 2013, and after it was repotted in April 2014.

By June 2015 the tree had filled out a bit more and some wiriing helped to improve the image.

In Ocotober 2017, the tree was displayed in the second "Bonsai Europa" exhibition.  I had to submit an application with pictures and details of the trees history, and after a wait of several months, I was invited to participate in the event.  This is now the premier bonsai exhibition in the UK, and I considerd it an honor and privilage to be invited to display my tree.  The following pictures show my tree during the event.

When I arrived at the show I was asked if I would like to be one of a panel of 12 international judges. Of course I jumped at the chance and had a wonderful time at the show.

The tree also featured on the SBA stand at Gardening Scotland  in June 2018.

Here is the tree in it's winter image - December 2018.....

Unfortunately  bonsai trees constantly evolve.  Sometimes they lose branches when or where you don't want them to.  This lovely tree lost an important hanging branch on the top right and low down at the back.  To make the most of it - in August 2021, I stuck in a dead branch to fill the gap.  Not perfect but perhaps I can still show the tree.  What do you think?

Blue Cedar Number 2

The second of my Blue Cedars was acquired from a Garden Centre in June 2013.  The following images show what it looked like when I bought it, and after it had been cut down and given a first styling in Sept 2013.  Like all Garden Centre material, I was only interested in the bottom 2 ft of the tree.  The tree has been allowed to settle and will be repotted into a Bonsai pot in April 2014. The following year  the new apex will have "set" in position, and I will then start to reduce the stump at the top, where I reduced the tree and which is currently being used as an anchorage point, to pull up the side branch that is being used to create the new apex.

The tree was repotted in April 2014, and by September was making progress.  I had two flushes of new growth this year - but it will still take time to develop the final image.  In the second picture below, I had removed the stump at the top and shaped the trunk to blend in.  A new shari up the front  adds some interest to the image. Only 18 months after I bought the tree  in a garden centre for £25 and its now starting to look like a bonsai.

 In the Autum of 2014, I installed a steel bar to help pull the previous side branch into position to create a top for the tree.  By August 2015, there was lots of fresh growth and the tree was starting to fill out........

The following Spring I removed the steel rod at the crown and by October 2016 the tree was starting to look like a presentable Bonsai.........

I decided to repot the tree in 2017.  By  the spring of 2018, I felt it was ready to be displayed at the SBA National Exhibition.  Almost 5 years from being a garden centre plant and I'm very happy with the result.  -  Not bad for twentyfive quid !

During the pandemic of 2020-21 I left the tree to its own devices, and to grow wild as nature intended ,  However, by August 2021, the tree needed further refinement.  I think its looking really good - what a shame that there are no shows this year.

Cascades:-

Blue cedars can be made into fantastic cascades.  This one was created by John Hannah from garden centre material.  This tree has been in training as a Bonsai for about 8 years.  The trunk was dead straight and upright when he bought it.

This picture was taken at Willowbog Chat on the 6th Dec 2014.

I have come across a number of cascades crated using this material.  The first is a very well known tree created by Len Gilbert...

But in fact there are plenty of good examples on the net.  Here are just a few..........

This one belongs to my good friend, Tony Sourthern from Hartlepool................  

Blue Cedar Number 3

I have been sufficiently inspired by these cascades that I decided to have a go at one myself.    

I purchased this tree from a local garden centre in December 2014.  

It cost £40 and was about 7 feet tall when I got it home.  

   As usual the first thing to do was to reduce the height........................

  As with all new trees the first thing to do is establish what sort of Nebari we have got.  I did this with the help of one of my favourite repotting tools - a stainless steel Bread Knife.  It cost £5 in a sale and is one of the best value tools I have.  I then replaced the rootball back into the orignial pot with as little disturbance as possible.  It is positioned  a bit higher up by  placing granular material in the bottom of the pot.  This allows me to see the Nebari and to place some granular material around the sides to improve drainage.

The next task is to start bending the trunk.  I did this by screwing a Vine Eye into the bottom of the trunk. This gave me an anchorage point to secure a guy wire to  The turn-buckle will be screwed up progressivily over several weeks tobend in the trunk.

 After a bit more work with the turnbuckle and a transferring the tree to a tempoary pot, the tree will now be left to recover for a few years and encouraged to put on some vigorus growth, so that we can develop the foliage pads.

By November 2015 the tree was growing well and had produced lots of new growth.  Most of this will be cut off in due course but for now the foliage is needed to create new roots.  Remember that positioning the tree at this angle means that many of the roots will now be above the intended soil level.  These have to be removed gradually and new roots encouraged to grow in the right place.  This just takes time and of course needs healthy foliage to photosynthesize and create the new root growth.

By the following October (2016) the foliage had developed further and its almost time to start reducing the length of the trunk.

By December 2018 the tree was filling out a bit and I had reduced the length of the trunk.

It now needs a proper pot.........

In April 2019 I attended a workshop with Corin Tomlinson.

  We reduced the length and repotted the tree into a more suitable pot.

I think we are getting there - just four and a half years from  buying the tree in a garden centre.

The following images are not cascades but I like them !......................

FAQ's

I was recently contacted by a hobbeyist who had a series of questions about  cedars. You may find these answers to be of interest:-

-  Do cedars backbud?  Will they backbud from old wood? (like pines will) Yes they back bud on  older wood, but not from the trunk or long established branches. 

Can you thread graft cedars?   I have never tried but I don't see why not.  However on reflection, I don't think I would spend time on thread grafting.

-  Are cedar trunks/branches flexible and easy to bend?  Yes  - actually  it can be hard to get the branches to stay  in place once you have wired them.  It often takes two or more growing seasons to "set " a branch.

-  Are they single flush trees?  Or would you say they’re multi-flush? - it depends on the local climate - usually one flush where I live in Scotland, but I do occasionally get a second flush.  It all depends on the weather and how vigorously the tree is growing.

-  What is the ideal substrate?   Something free draining - I'm currently using 33% Akadama, 33% Kiryu, and 33% Ezo Grit (which is a type of pumice) + a couple of handfuls of wood chips.  However getting them into this mix is a challenge - see below.

-  How do they react to repotting?  Can you be aggressive with root cutbacks?  I have had very mixed results with cutting back the roots and so I would advise caution.  On my web site I show pictures of me using an old bread knife to cut off the bottom section of the root ball.  That worked OK.  Other times when I have lifted them from my garden they drop most of their needles,  sometimes they recover - sometimes not.  Most cedars come from garden centres and are growing in a very peaty soil.  They seem to do OK in that, but growing trees in peat feels counter intuitive.   I like free draining soil mixes so that the water can get out ( to minimise the risk of root rot) and the oxygen can in in.  I think the biggest issue is actually disturbing the soil around the roots.   Transplant into progressively smaller pots  and work some of the free draining mix into the pot each time you do so. Definitely do not bare root the tree.

-  Anything else you’re would advise? - Yes have a go  - but remember that  impressive  bonsai  have thick trunks relative to the height of the tree.  If buying from a garden centre to develop your own, buy the biggest trunk you can get but make sure it has live  branches close to the bottom of the trunk as you will be cutting off most of the height of the tree to make it into a bonsai (these are often hard to find).

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