How to Plant Cedar Hedges
Cedar (Cedrus spp.) tree hedges make a bold statement and can draw attention or create a backdrop for statuary or smaller plants. As a windbreak, a cedar hedge alters or creates microclimates within the landscape. For small spaces, golden needled C. deodara "Aurea" grows slowly, reaching a mature height of 15 feet, while "Snow Sprite" -- with silvery green needles with cream tips -- reaches 12 feet tall and wide in 10 years. Green-needled C. deodara is much taller, attaining a height of 80 feet with a 40-foot spread. Other green species include C. atlantica, C. brevifolia and C. libani, with heights of 40 to 80 feet and spreads of 30 to 80 feet. Native to the West Himalayas and Mediterranean, cedar trees grow in full sun in well-drained soil in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9.
Water cedar trees thoroughly the day before the anticipated planting date. Soak bare root trees in buckets of water on the day of planting.
Mark the hedge line using string and stakes, a garden hose for curves, or flour sifted onto the grass or ground.
Rototill or spade the planting site, in full sun and well-drained soil, in an area as long as the desired hedge and twice the width of the root ball of one of your cedar trees.
Dig a trench through the center of the planting line, making the trench the same depth as the rootball of one of the cedar trees.
Fill the trench with water. Then, turn off the water and allow the water to drain.
Prepare a cedar tree for planting by removing it from its container or loosening wire and strings from balled-and-burlapped trees.
Tease roots loose if they grew in a circle around a pot. Remove any damaged roots and spread loose roots as the rootball is placed in the trench. Make certain the tree is planted at the same depth as its previous growing depth.
Shovel dirt around the rootball, tamping the soil lightly after the soil is halfway up the rootball. Continue to shovel soil around the rootball until the soil in the trench is level with the tree's previous growing depth.
Divide the mature spread of the cedar tree cultivar selected by two or three, depending upon the desired closeness of the trees at maturity. For trees that touch lightly at maturity, divide by two. For a privacy screen, divide by three, or four for a quicker screen.
Space trees evenly, using the calculation from the previous step, measuring trees from center to center.
Add liquid or soluble-granular-type fertilizer to water at the rate recommended by the fertilizer manufacturer and water each tree. Do not fertilize the trees again until the next growing season.
- University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources: Integrated Pest Management Program: Cedar
- University of California Sonoma County Master Gardeners: Top Plants for Sonoma County
- The New Sunset Western Garden Book: Cedrus
- Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service: Hedges
- Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service: Planting and Transplanting Landscape Trees and Shrubs
- The American Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants; Christopher Brickell and Judith D. Zuk
- Plant cedar tree hedges during cool weather, either in spring or fall. Cedar trees have deep roots, so they can withstand drought after they are established. However, a cedar hedge should be kept watered for the first year while its roots become established.
For Judy Kilpatrick, gardening is the best mental health therapy of all. Combining her interests in both of these fields, Kilpatrick is a professional flower grower and a practicing, licensed mental health therapist. A graduate of East Carolina University, Kilpatrick writes for national and regional publications.