HAVING recently decided to get rid of an ancient purple prunus that's on its way south due to drought (see The Land, 20 February), I've been focusing on the tree behind it, a Blue Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica "Glauca") that I planted more than 20 years ago.
After enjoying a spring flowering, deciduous tree from our verandah since 1988, it will be a change to look at a conifer that's the same year round, apart from cones that come and go and a slow increase in height.
A large Blue Atlantic Cedar is a magnificent sight and I thank my stars that I planted one when I still had enough years ahead to see it grow into a mature tree. (Well, relatively - cedars are known for longevity, more than 2000 years in some cases.) Of all the trees I have planted it is by far and away my favourite.
Atlantic Cedars come from the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco and could hardly be better adapted to our climate, thriving better in hotter, drier areas than most conifers.
Cedars are a closely related group of four trees from the Mediterranean and Himalayas, indeed so closely related that although the botanical splitters currently have their way, the groupers would love to lump them into one species.
Two are commonly seen in Eastern Australia, the Atlas Cedar and its blue form and the better known Deodar (C. deodara) that prefers a slightly damper, milder climate.
The other two in the genus are Cedar of Lebanon (C. libani), less planted Down Under for some reason but common across Britain and Northern Europe, and the rare Cyprus Cedar (C. brevifolia).
The first three are easily identified by a simple memory device: Atlas Cedar branches ascend at their tips, Lebanese are level and Deodars descend. C. brevifolia is (for once) accurately named botanically: its needles are unusually short.
Puzzling over my tree's height this morning I decided to measure it. Instruments that measure tree height are called Hypsometers and cost several hundred dollars, but according to Alan Mitchell (Trees of Britain and Northern Europe, 1974) you can measure trees, especially conifers with a single leader, quite accurately with a simple piece of home-made equipment.
You need a stick (bamboo is fine) that you can cut into the length corresponding to the distance between your eyeball and your fully extended grasping finger and thumb.
You might need help to get the length exactly right but once you have it, the stick is yours for life, as the distance is constant for any one person.
Holding the stick by its middle at this distance, as vertically as possible, walk backwards and forwards aligning it to the tree until its upper and lower ends are exactly in line with the top and base of the tree. (Easier with one eye closed.)
Mark the ground where you're standing and measure the distance to the centre of the base of the tree: this is its exact height.
My Blue Atlas Cedar measures almost eight metres using this method on level ground. I double-checked it on a nearby Medlar that was small enough (three metres) to measure with a metal tape and it was absolutely accurate.
My beautiful Cedar tree cost $16 in 1992. It has to be the best investment in the garden that I've ever made.
Winter Hill Tree Farm, Canyonleigh lists C. atlantica "Glauca" and C. deodara. Visit Winter Hil's website or contact (02) 4878 9193.
Gardens in Bilpin and Seven Hills are open the weekend of March 8 and 9 for Open Gardens Australia. Visit Open Gardens Australia