About Weeping Atlas Cedars

© Robert O'Brien. Used with permission.

The Weeping Atlas Cedar, Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca Pendula,' a.k.a. the Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar, is a cedar tree that has "a columnar, weeping form featuring pendulous branches clad with bluish-green needles in clusters and upright, barrel-shaped cones" (Missouri Botanical Garden). It "naturally grows slowly with a sprawling horizontal habit, though often [is] trained into an upright, serpentine form" (Monrovia). Its "branches droop but resist breakage" (Urban Forest Resources Institute).

The Weeping Atlas Cedar is also mentioned in the last verse of the George Harrison song "Beware of Darkness," which is why it is the name of this blog. Here are the lyrics to "Beware of Darkness:"

"Beware Of Darkness"
George Harrison

Watch out now, take care
Beware of falling swingers
Dropping all around you
The pain that often mingles
In your fingertips
Beware of darkness

Watch out now, take care
Beware of the thoughts that linger
Winding up inside your head
The hopelessness around you
In the dead of night

Beware of sadness
It can hit you
It can hurt you
Make you sore and what is more
That is not what you are here for

Watch out now, take care
Beware of soft shoe shufflers
Dancing down the sidewalks
As each unconscious sufferer
Wanders aimlessly
Beware of Maya

Watch out now, take care
Beware of greedy leaders
They take you where you should not go
While Weeping Atlas Cedars
They just want to grow, grow and grow
Beware of darkness (beware of darkness)