Good Ol' Charlie Brown

A reference to a Charlie Brown tree when shopping for a Christmas tree, or any tree for that matter, is often a reference to something gangly, awkward-looking, and "not all there".  Until of course you meet the princely (Charles?), Cedrus atlantica "Glauca Fastigiata" which is commonly known as the Blue Atlas Cedar.  Blue Atlas Cedars have those Charlie Brown qualities that most people disdain, but it's these qualities that make them princely in my books.

I planted a pair of these handsome Chucks in large zinc pots in my garden.  They act as sentries on either side of my gate as you exit my front garden.  My front garden is a shady woodland garden, full of Vine Maples, ferns, Bergennias, Turf Lilies, Epimediums, Saxifragas, etc.  The Blue Atlas Cedars, with their glaucous blue-green needles and their smooth silvery-gray bark acts as beacons of light in the moody, lush, monochromatic field of varying shades of green.

My Blue Atlas Cedars are located in a very sheltered area of my garden, partly shaded by a 6' tall cedar fence, and our three-storey house.  Last year, we craned in, and planted one of these conifers at a roof garden project in Yaletown, where it endured extreme conditions, like 100 km windstorms, -17 C icy temperatures during the long winter months, as well as 30+ C heat, and intense sun in the summer months, I'm impressed how well they responded to their very different exposures.  These conifers are not only princes, they are warriors!

photo by Yasmine Franchi

Good ol' Charlie Brown, your foibles, your perseverance, and your spirit are what makes you so loveable.


Care and condtions: Cedrus atlantica "Glauca Fastigiata" - Blue Atlas Cedar
Hardy to Zone 6
Part sun to full sun exposure
Fast growing (up to 60' in nature), behaves like dwarf varieties planted in containers.
Water wise plants
Pollution tolerant