Weeping Blue Cedars

Le mûrier blanc ou "pleureur" (Morus alba) est un spécimen dioïque ...

The white or "weeping" mulberry tree (Morus alba) is a dioecious specimen, meaning it has distinct male and female cultivars. Like the weeping pussy willow, this tree is a dwarf. Morus alba Chaparral is the male cultivar. It will produce no fruit and is grown mainly for its weeping habit. The fruiting, female cultivar is Morus alba Pendula. The fruit follows a greenish-white bloom and is not only edible and attractive but is also useful for attracting wild birds. Its fruit also makes it one of the messiest trees. An advantage for growing the male cultivar is that you will not have to deal with this mess. For optimal fruiting on the female cultivar, grow it in full sun and plant it in a well-draining ground. It is suited to zones 4 to 8. Its height is six to eight feet with a spread of eight to 12 feet.

The Red Jade weeping crabapple (Malus x scheideckeri Red Jade) bears a white flower that becomes an ornamental red fruit. The fruit lasts throughout the winter, attracting wild birds that eat them in February and March as emergency food. Not only does it sport a weeping habit, but its contorted trunk lends additional interest to your landscaping, even in winter when the tree is bare. It measures 12 to 15 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide at maturity. It is hardy to zone 3 and needs soil that drains well along with lots of sunlight.

Young's weeping birch (Betula pendula Youngii) is a six-to-12-foot-tall dwarf variety. This birch tree makes for an attractive landscaping specimen, not only because of its weeping habit but also because of its bark. Young's weeping birch has white bark that peels, providing unique visual texture. Plant it in zones 3 to 9. This plant thrives in full sun, good drainage, and lots of water.

Weeping blue Alaskan cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis Glauca Pendula) is a small evergreen tree (10 feet after five years and about twice that at maturity) that can be grown in zones 4 to 7. Not a true cedar, it is sometimes referred to as a "false cypress," because it is not a true cypress either. Plant it in well-draining soil in a spot with full sunlight.

Weeping blue Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica Glauca Pendula) is another weeping evergreen. This superb ornamental tree can be grown in zones 6 to 9. Pendant limbs drip with icy-blue needles. This slow grower needs full sun and good drainage, but it is a fairly drought-tolerant tree.

It is difficult to provide dimensions for weeping blue Atlas cedar. It really depends on what you do with it. If you stake it, you can train it to grow 10 to 12 feet high, and from that height, it will cascade down. But if you do not stake it, the plant will look like an amorphous blob bubbling over on the ground, measuring about three feet by three feet. Weeping blue Atlas cedar will grow about one foot per year. Like weeping blue Alaskan cedar (but more reliably so), this tree will give you powder-blue foliage that provides year-round visual interest.