Cedrus deodara seeds - Himalayan Cedar

The Himalayan Cedar (Cedrus deodara) is a large evergreen conifer with a very special charm. Its pyramidal habit, long branches with trailing tips, and soft-to-the-touch foliage make a beautiful presence in the garden. Sowing seed offers real advantages: moderate cost, the possibility of a large number of young plants, and young trees well adapted to your soil and climate. In return, you must be patient: a few years of attentive care for young cedars, then around ten years to obtain a well-formed tree, several metres tall.

The Himalayan Cedar belongs to the Pinaceae family. It is a tree that can live for several centuries. It grows naturally on the temperate slopes of the western Himalayas, between 1,500 and 3,000m altitude, from northern India and Nepal to Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tibet. Its main botanical synonyms are Abies deodara, Cedrus libani var. deodara, Larix deodara and Pinus deodara. It is also known as the sacred cedar or deodar cedar.
The very upright trunk bears dark grey bark that is initially smooth, then fissured with age. The branches are arranged in almost horizontal tiers, and the secondary branches trail elegantly. The evergreen, fine and flexible needles are 3 to 5cm long, grouped in dense tufts on the short shoots. Their colour ranges from soft green to slightly glaucous green. The tree keeps its foliage all year round. Male and female flowers develop on the same individual: dusty male catkins appear in autumn, while the upright and ovoid female cones measure 7 to 12cm long. They take just over a year to mature, then release pale brown, winged, fairly large seeds.
The root system is deep and extensive, with a main descending axis complemented by a network of lateral roots. This enables the cedar to withstand wind and relative drought well. Its aromatic, highly durable wood is prized for timber framing and construction, but also as sacred wood: the name 'deodara' comes from Sanskrit and means 'wood of the gods'. The species is considered the national tree of Pakistan and is traditionally planted near certain temples.

A Himalayan Cedar reaches 4 to 6m in about ten years in good, deep soil, and 15 to 20m in height with an 8 to 10m spread over time. Its growth is moderate in the first few years, while the roots establish, then becomes fairly rapid in rich, moist soil. Allow ten to fifteen years for a fine tree, and 20 to 30 years or more for an imposing specimen.

The Himalayan Cedar is only for large gardens, parks, or vast lawns where it can be planted as a specimen to enjoy its languid silhouette and luminous foliage. Place it at a good distance from buildings. At its base, you can plant a carpet of bluebells, snowdrops, lily of the valley, pink ivy-leaved cyclamen or very robust perennials such as greater periwinkles.