Tree · Pinaceae
Deodar Cedar
Cedrus deodara
Set in full sun on ground that drains, this Himalayan cedar becomes a soft, sweeping evergreen that anchors a garden for decades.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 6–9
30–50 ft · 9.1–15.2 m
Overview
The deodar cedar brings a quiet, romantic presence to a large garden, a fast-growing evergreen from the western Himalayas and one of the few true cedars in the genus Cedrus. Soft blue-green to gray-green needles gather along arching branches, and the gently nodding leader at the crown gives the whole tree a graceful, weeping silhouette that reads beautifully against an open sky. Given the room it craves, it rises to 30 to 50 feet (9 to 15 meters) and spreads nearly as wide.
This is a tree that defines a sweep of open lawn, never a pot or a crowded corner. It belongs where full sun pours across freely draining ground, the kind of setting that lets its draped outline stand on its own, and once settled it carries on through dry spells without a second thought. The needle tips are sharp, so it suits the middle distance of a view rather than a path you brush past, asking little once it has found its place.
Designers turn to it as a signature specimen or a soft evergreen screen, and a handful of cultivars carry that look into colder gardens than the wild tree allows. The one setting it cannot abide is low, water-holding ground, where the romance gives way to decline.
Care
The short version: full sun and free-draining ground set the whole scene. Water it well through its early years, then let it carry itself, leave a generous sweep of space for its mature spread, and keep it well clear of any low corner where the ground stays wet.
Light
Give a deodar cedar a spot in full sun and it rewards you with the fullest crown and the cleanest, most sculptural form. It will accept partial sun or light shade, but the canopy thins and the outline loosens where the light falls short, softening the dramatic line that makes it worth planting.
Water
Water it faithfully through the first year or two while the roots settle into their place, soaking deeply every 7 to 14 days. From there it carries itself as a genuinely drought-tolerant tree that asks for little, and the only real misstep becomes overwatering, which invites the root rot that undoes its presence.
Soil
It isn't particular about texture and settles into anything from sandy to clay loam, comfortable across a wide pH of 5.5 to 7.5. The single condition that shapes where it belongs is drainage, since ground that stays soggy quietly rots the roots beneath that handsome canopy.
Temperature
This is a steadfast tree across a broad range, holding its place from about 0°F to 100°F (-18°C to 38°C). Hardy cultivars carry the look further into cold-winter gardens, while a late frost can still nip the tender new growth that softens its spring profile.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor air is all the setting requires, so there's no humidity figure to manage. What matters to its long good looks is open air movement around the branches, since still, damp pockets are exactly where tip blight begins to mar the line.
Feeding
A light spring feeding with a balanced slow-release tree fertilizer, once a season, keeps it in good form. An established tree growing well needs little or no feeding, content to draw on what the ground already gives it.
Pruning
Part of its appeal is that it needs almost no pruning to hold its shape. In late winter, lift out any dead, damaged, or crossing branches along with growth killed by cold or tip blight, then step back and leave its natural sweeping form to do the work.
Repotting
As a landscape tree it rarely belongs in a container, and an established one is happiest left undisturbed in its setting. Should a young one wait in a pot, move it up only when roots circle the inside, growth stalls, or water slips straight through without soaking in.
Size & spacing
360–600 in (914–1524 cm) tall
When to plant
A deodar cedar settles into the landscape best during the mild shoulders of the year. Plant in spring or fall, while the soil is easy to work and the season's extremes have eased, and the tree has a full, gentle stretch of weeks to find its footing before the weather turns.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: spring or fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 6–9
Temperature: down to -23°C
Troubleshooting
A well-placed deodar cedar asks for little and gives plenty, and the rare trouble it runs into nearly always traces back to wet ground or a tree under strain. The branches and the canopy are where the first signs show. Notice them early and the tree's graceful line can usually be saved before a limb, or the whole shape, is lost.
A thinning, wilting canopy on a tree in wet ground
A canopy that thins and wilts on wet ground points to Phytophthora root and crown rot, which smothers and rots the roots out of sight below. Ease into the soil near the base and you may find dark, mushy roots in place of firm white ones. Once the rot has gone far there is no recovering the tree, so correct the drainage, ease off the water, and replant where the ground never holds wet.
Fix:
- Improve drainage or relocate to a well-drained site
- Reduce irrigation
- Remove severely affected trees
Flagging branches, weeping resin, and bare cases hanging in the limbs
Flagging branches and weeping resin mark the deodar weevil, a bark beetle that bores in and bleeds resin from the wounds, with bagworms and borers adding to the toll on the tree's appearance. Watch for small holes, sawdust, and the hanging spindle-shaped bags that give bagworms away. Since most attacks fall on trees worn down by drought, the surest care is steady water, a layer of mulch, and pruning out and burning anything infested.
Fix:
- Keep trees vigorous with proper watering and mulch
- Remove and destroy infested branches and bagworm bags
- Consult local extension for targeted insect management
Browning branch tips and dying-back twigs
When the tips brown and the twigs die back, the usual cause is tip blight from the Sphaeropsis or Diplodia fungus, which arrives after wet weather and begins at the very ends of the branches. A late frost can imitate the look by killing the tender new growth. Trim the affected tips well below the dead wood, clean your pruners between cuts, and keep water off the foliage to restore the line.
Fix:
- Prune out and dispose of affected tips well below the dead tissue
- Disinfect tools between cuts
- Improve air circulation and avoid overhead watering
Toxicity
A deodar cedar settles comfortably into a household landscape. Nothing in it harms pets, livestock, or people, and it stays off the ASPCA poison lists entirely. The single thing to keep in mind is the sharp-pointed needles, which can prick small hands at work close to a young tree.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
A deodar cedar settles easily into a home with cats, since nothing in the needles or wood will poison them. A cat that chews a branch might cough up a little plant matter, but that is the sharp tips at work, not a toxin.
Dogs None
There are no toxic compounds here, so a dog can sniff and brush past the tree without concern. Gnawing on a fallen twig is harmless, though a mouthful of needles may bring a little drool.
Horses Safe
Nothing about a deodar cedar threatens a horse grazing nearby. The tree carries no poison, so it sits comfortably around paddocks and the edges of a pasture.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits are in no danger from this tree. The needles are not toxic, and a curious nibble does no harm.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can share the same ground with a deodar cedar safely. It holds no toxin that troubles the stomach or the nerves.
Birds Safe
Birds nest and perch in the dense branches without any risk. The tree is non-toxic, and its cones and cover make it a welcome part of the garden for them.
People Safe
There is nothing poisonous about a deodar cedar for people. The needles end in sharp points, so the only real caution is handling young plants with care.
No special handling needed; needles are sharp-pointed so handle young plants with care.
Varieties
Past the wild species, a few named selections earn their place for hardier cold tolerance or for a color and shape that suits a particular setting. These are the forms a garden designer is most likely to find offered at a nursery.
Karl Fuchs
One of the most cold-hardy selections, it carries the look to zone 6 on steely blue-green needles draped along graceful, drooping branches.
Shalimar
Raised from seed of the Shalimar Gardens, this blue-green form takes the cold more gracefully than the ordinary species.
Kashmir
Hardier than the species to around zone 6, it stands among the most rewarding true cedars for a southern garden.
Pendula
A weeping form whose branches cascade strongly toward the ground for a soft, draped presence.
Aurea
A golden form that opens bright yellow new growth in spring before settling toward green with age.
How to propagate
A deodar cedar can be raised from seed or, for the more refined forms, propagated the way the nursery trade prefers. Each path serves a different ambition, and one asks far more patience and skill than the other.
SeedModerate
Fall to spring after cold stratification · Several years
The species rises readily from seed once it has had its spell of cold stratification, begun anytime from fall to spring. Plan on several years before it reads as a real tree, and welcome the fact that seedlings vary in form and color, so no two settle into a garden quite alike.
GraftingDemanding
Late winter · 1 to 2 years
The named cultivars, the weeping and golden forms included, are grafted in late winter, since seed will not reliably carry their character. It is demanding work that takes 1 to 2 years to settle, which is why grafted plants carry a higher price at the nursery.
Myths
Every tree we call a cedar is a true cedar like the deodar.
Only the members of the genus Cedrus, the deodar among them, are true cedars. A great many North American trees carry the name as a matter of habit, eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) among them, yet they belong to entirely different genera and are not cedars at all.