Austrocedrus chilensis [RCH 476]

This Randall Hitchin collection has turned out to be a doozy, truly extraordinary. From one single seed collection, we have selected not only a variegated plant but also one with very deep blue foliage. These seedlings, though variable, have all turned out to be a much prettier blue than the typical plants in commerce. A lovely western Andean plant, growing in conditions seemingly analogous to the dry rocky slopes of our western cedar, Calocedrus decurrens. Tested plants seem to have a cold limit of just below 0 °F, upper USDA zone 6. Though adapted to dry summer places, a little extra water speeds them to 18" to 2 ft of growth a year to an eventual 30' tall. The symmetrical sprays of branches make a perfect companion for your monkey puzzle (Araucaria araucana) with which they often grow.