Many of our clients request cedar shrubs for their landscaping without knowing the negative aspects of landscaping with cedar shrubs in Calgary. Cedars are a beautiful shrub and there are many different varieties. The size of cedars can very to small compact globe cedars to tall tree like cedars.
Most Cedars don’t really like our Calgary climate
Most cedar shrubs don’t grow well in Calgary. They do grow very well in British Columbia or areas where the climate is milder without the very cold winters that Calgary experiences. Cedars need warm moist and/or humid climates to thrive and Calgary just doesn’t have that kind of weather. If you visit areas of BC you will see cedars everywhere in shrub and tree form. They thrive in the rainforest type climate that BC has and some cedar trees there can grow to be huge. Unfortunately you won’t be able to grow a large cedar tree in Calgary but you may be able to grow some smaller cedar shrubs. Although landscaping with cedar shrubs in Calgary can be challenging there are some cedar options for you to consider.
Some Cedar shrubs do grow well in Calgary if planted in the right areas
Some cedar varieties do grow well here. The variety that we have had the most luck with is the Holmstrup Cedar. This is a shrub Cedar and it grows quite will if it is planted in a protected area of your yard. Holmstrup Cedars particularly like growing next to houses where there roots can enjoy the warmth from the homes foundation. Once the cedar becomes established it can benefit from the warmth of the foundation as the cedars roots grow deeper into the soil. The Holmstrup cedar can reach heights of 15′ over a long period of time.
Junipers are a great substitute for Cedars
We are often asked what a good substitute for cedar shrubs are. We always recommend Junipers in place of cedars because overall they are more hardy and the chance of winter kill is far less than with Cedars. Cedars look very much like some Junipers especially upright pyramidal cedars. Some great juniper choices are Moonglow, Wichita, Medora and Skyrocket. Medora Junipers look most like a cedar because of their dark green foliage. See our Shrubs-photos page for more shrub ideas
If you are interested in Landscaping with Cedar shrubs in Calgary consider Junipers instead.
Call us today to discuss great planting options for your garden beds. Ph: 403-452-8552