Elevate Your Outdoor Space with These 20 Cypress Varieties (With Identification Guide)

Coming in varieties of all shapes, sizes and colors, cypress trees are some of the most useful conifers for gardening and landscaping. You will hardly identify some of them as “cypress” though. Yes, because the idea we have of it is the Mediterranean species, tall, columnar, green… But the surprising truth is that there are many more, pyramidal, round, yellow, blue, huge and dwarf! Just imagine what you can bring to your garden with one of them…

What’s more, there are great varieties for dry gardens, and equally stunning ones for wet and waterlogged land! There are cold hardy species and others that like warmer climates. There are natural species and cultivars. There are even “false”, “bald” and “pond” cypresses!

While this may look like a maze, recognizing each variety of cypress is not at all impossible. 

There are between 16 to 25 species of real cypress trees, all belonging to the genus Cupressus. However, for gardeners there are also two more genera, Chamaecyparis (false cypress) and Taxodium (bald and pond cypress). They can be identified by their shape, size, habit and foliage color.

Not only will you learn how to recognize all the main varieties of cypress trees; you will also meet the most beautiful and useful for your garden, and it will be a very colorful and intriguing journey, which we can start right now!

To make things clearer for you, we have divided our varieties into three categories: natural real cypress species, real cypress cultivars and false cypress types. And here they are…

CYPRESS TREE OVERVIEW

Any of the trees in the genus Cupressusis identified as a real cypress. I said real, because we commonly call “cypress” also species that in reality are not, like bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) and Chinese swamp cypress (Glyptostrobus penislis) as well as the popular bald and swamp varieties (Chamaecyparis spp.). They are closely related to junipers (Juniperus) and they are all conifers.

Ranging in side from small trees that you can grow in a pot to large ones, they are distinctive because the needles are scale like, often aromatic and decussate. This means that, in a cross section, they look like an X, or the number 10 in Latin (“decus”).

However, when they are young, the evergreen leaves are needle like, up to about 2 years of age of the tree, and can have a wide range of colors, from golden to blue – also when mature.

The cones are globose, or ovoid and they have 14 scales, again, in decussate (X) shape, and they take between 18 and 24 months to mature. The seeds inside are very small, 4 to 7 millimeters long (0.16 to 0.28 inches) and they have two narrow wings.

The trunk is not large, 3 to 6 feet in diameter (90 cm to 1.9 meters), usually smooth but sometimes striped.

Cypresses originate from temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where they are excellent colonizers of burnt ground.

Gardening with Cypress Trees

Many species of cypress have found their way into our gardens, especially thanks to their beauty and low maintenance. Small varieties especially have helped the fortune of this genus, with many becoming ideal for urban and suburban gardens, where they offer dense evergreen foliage and sculptural shapes all year round.

They are also very common in cemeteries and churchyards, because their strong aroma covers the bad smells coming from decomposition gases. Then again, in many Mediterranean and other fairly warm countries, columnar and pyramidal species are common on the sides of roads, especially in Tuscany, Italy, where they have become a landmark.

Grown in gardens for centuries, breeders have introduced many cultivars, which vary a lot in shape, size and foliage color.

CYPRESS TREE FACT SHEET

With such a range of shapes, colors, species and sizes, here is a simple and easy to use “identikit” of all cypress varieties.

• Botanical name: Cupressus spp.
• Common name(s): cypress.
• Plant type: evergreen conifer tree.
• Size: naturally 13 to 132 feet tall (4.0 to 40 meters) and 4 to 80 feet in spread (1.2 to 24 meters). Dwarf cultivars are smaller.
• Potting soil: well drained generic potting soil; add some coarse sand for better drainage.
• Outdoor soil: deep and well drained loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil.
• Soil pH: ideally 5.5 to 6.5, but it tolerates acidic pH (to 4.0), neutral and mildly alkaline.
• Light requirements: usually full Sun.
• Watering requirements: usually every week.
• Fertilizing: usually not needed. With young plants you can use an organic fertilizer with NPK 5-10-10 once every 3 months to help it if the soil is poor.
• Hardiness: usually USDA zones 5 to 10, depending on the variety.
• Place of origin: temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere: North and Central America, northwest Africa, the Middle East, southern Europe, Himalayas, southern China and northern Vietnam.

CYPRESS TREE IDENTIFICATION GUIDE

Now, we have 16 to 25 species of cypress, and many cultivars, so, we need to learn how to identify them, how to tell them apart. And there are a few traits and features you need to look at.

How to Identify Cypress Varieties by Size

The smallest cypress is a cultivar, known as dwarf lemon cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest Wilma’) which only reaches a diminutive 3 feet tall (90 cm); on the other hand, the tallest is the Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), which usually reacher 115 feet tall (35 meters) and it can touch heights of 132 feet (40 meters).

In between you have a wide range, of both heights and spreads; check with the descriptions we will give you of each variety to help you identify the exact one. All dwarf varieties are cultivars.

How to Identify Cypress Varieties by Leaf Color

Cypress trees are evergreen, but this may be misleading: in fact, you can tell many varieties apart by the color of its foliage: it can be green, in many shades, but also golden, silver and even blue.

The leaf color is very stable throughout the species and variety (unlike with other plants, where it can vary with light and other factors), so, this will help you identify the exact type you have in front of you.

How to Identify Cypress Varieties by Crown Shape

As we said, not all cypress types are columnar, like the iconic Mediterranean cypress. In fact, the habit and crown shape of each species or cultivar can vary a lot, and they can be:

• Cylindrical or columnar (e.g., Cupressus sempervirens, or Mediterranean cypress)
• Conical (e.g., Cupressus funebris, or Chinese weeping cypress)
• Pyramidal (e.g., Cupressus atlantica, or Moroccan cypress)
• Oval (e.g., Cupressus lusitanica, or Mexican cypress)
• Umbrella like (e.g., Cupressus macrocarpa, or Monterey cypress)

Looking at the overall shape of the crown will help you identify the variety from a distance.

You can also look at how low or high the foliage starts. In some varieties, like Himalayan cypress (Cupressus torulosa) or Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) it starts close to the ground, and you can hardly see the trunk. On the contrary, in others like Arixona cypress (Cupressus arizonica) and Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa), it starts higher up, and you can clearly see a good part of the trunk.

How to Identify Cypress Varieties by Habit

All cypress varieties have an overall upright habit, but there are also differences. Looking at the branching and density of the foliage, you will notice that some have a dense crown, like Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), Tibetan cypress (Cupressus gigantea) and Chinese weeping cypress (Cupressus funebris). You can hardly see the branches with them, because they are thick and they hold lots of foliage.

On the other hand, other species, especially from the New World, have a more or less open habit, like Sergeant cypress (Cupressus sargentii), Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) and Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica). This is especially true when they are mature, and you can clearly see the branches on them.

Identify Cypress Varieties by Cone Color and Shape

The cones of cypresses are similar in size, round or oval, but they do change a bit in color… They range from gray to reddish brown when ripe, with some pale golden brown.

What is more, some are fairly smooth, while others have bumps, or warts on them, like with Modoc cypress (Cypressus bakeri), or small protrusions that look like horns, for example Santa Cruz Cypress (Cypressus abramsiana).

Identify Cypress Varieties by other Traits

It is hard to identify a cypress variety by the needle length or cone size, because they vary very little. However, some have special traits that make them easy to recognize…

For example, Bhutan cypress (Cupressus cashmeriana) has drooping foliage, while Chinese weeping cypress (Cupressus funebris) – well, it’s in the name… It looks like it has weeping leaves and branches.

And now you know how to identify and recognize cypress types, let’s talk about a controversial topic…

REAL CYPRESS AND FALSE CYPRESS VARIETIES

As we said, not all trees that we call “cypresses” are actually part of the Cupressus genus. There are in fact those varieties that we call “false cypresses” and they mainly belong to two genera of the same family as the real ones: Cupressaceae.

And in fact they look very similar to Cupressus. For this reason, in gardening terms they are usually listed together with “the real thing”. The differences, in fact, are only of interest to botanists, and you can use the same identification traits we have learned to use just now.

One species in particular is very popular: Chameacyparis, which actually means “cypress on the earth” in Greek, while we commonly call it false cypress. It has evergreen foliage in flat sprays when adult, and needle like when young. The cones too are globose or oval, with scales and small, and decussate. The seeds too have two small wings, and they have a variety of shapes, habits and foliage color.

 Within this genus, or false cypresses, there a also called Lawson cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), and Sawara cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera). Among them, there are many small garden cultivars with great decorative value.

While large varieties can grow to a dizzy 230 feet tall (70 meters), many cultivars are small and even shrub like, and for this reason, they have become popular in small gardens and even in containers.

Another common species called “cypress” Taxodium, known as “pond cypress” and “bald cypress”. Native of North America, this genus can grow to a maximum of 150 feet tall (46 meters) and it is semi-evergreen in warm regions and deciduous in colder ones.

While the cones are similar to those of really cypress, Cupressus, the leaves are very easy to identify: they look like flat needles and they come in two equally flat rows on each side of a central shoot. They are, in fact, mote similar to those of yew trees (Taxus), and its scientific name confirms this, because it means “like a yew”…

And now that you can identify real cypress varieties, as well as false, bald and pond ones, we can move on to a detailed description of the most important and common ones for gardening…

REAL CYPRESS TYPES AND VARIETIES: NATURAL SPECIES

We have decided to split this list of cypress varieties into two: natural species, and cultivars. We can start with what Mother Nature has given us, so, off we go!

1. Mediterranean Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens)

We could only start with the most iconic and recognizable species of all: Mediterranean cypress. With very dense fragrant and mid green foliage, a long and columnar habit and a crown that stars almost at ground level, this variety is what most people have in mind when they hear the word “cypress”.

It can grow into a real giant, and even the trunk can become sculptural in old specimen, and it can live to up to a whopping 4,000 years! Even its wood is scented, and, as we said, it is one of the best loved trees in the region that gives it its name.

Strong and adaptable to warm and dry climates, Mediterranean cypress is an excellent tree for a vertical accent and for focal points in large, even stately and formal gardens, and this is the mother species of many popular cultivars.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 7 to 10.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Foliage color: mid to dark green.
• Cones: round, smooth, golden brown.
• Size: up to 132 feet tall (40 meters) and 30 feet in spread (9.0 meters).
• Shape: columnar, conical.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium humid to dry loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought tolerant.

2. Mendocino Cypress (Cupressus pigmaea)

From giant to small, Mendocino (or pigmy) cypress seems easy to identify because it is the smallest natural species of this genus. Coming from California and nearby areas, this dwarf only reaches 13 to 16.4 feet tall (4.0 to 5.0 meters) when mature – usually!

Yes, because while some only stop at 8 inches tall (65 cm), the biggest one in the world is 141 feet tall (43 meters)! It is particular because the cones open only after fires, when they start new life and give rise to new forests. It is a very variable species, and it may be better called “morphing cypress”, but, really, apart from a few exceptions, most fit the description of the smallest of all these conifer trees.

Mendocino cypress would be good for pigmy forests and small gardens, even urban ones, however, it is not a common garden variety, but it is gaining popularity for xeriscaping.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 6b to 10b.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Foliage color: bright green.
• Cones: bright brown smooth.
• Size: usually, 13 to 16.4 feet tall (4.0 to 5.0 meters) and 4 to 8 feet in spread (1.2 to 2.4 meters).
• Shape: usuallyconical when mature, usually oval and pointed when young.
• Soil and water requirements: medium fertile, well drained, medium humid to dry loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought tolerant.

3. Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa)

A sculptural giant, the Californian Monterey cypress is easily identified by its flat topped, umbrella shape crown which reminds us of a Lebanese cedar (Cedrus libani). It has a wide spread and elegant branches that hold its dark foliage, while the trunk can be straight or lean. Its great decorative value has made this conifer popular in New Zealand, where they simply call it “macrocarpa”. It will develop into its final shape over many years, as it is fairly long lived, though not 1,000 years as urban legends go, and it can grow into a colossus of 132 feet in height (40 meters)!

Monterey cypress is for sure a variety you want as a specimen plant, as a great focal point and in a large garden! And if you grow it, you will also help its conservation, because this stately conifer is classed as “vulnerable”. It has generated many cultivars as well.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 7 to 11.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Foliage color: dark green.
• Cones: smooth, round, light brown.
• Size: usually 40 to 80 feet tall (12 to 24 meters) and 20 to 50 feet in spread (6.0 to 15 meters); but exceptionally up to 132 feet tall (40 meters).
• Shape: flat topped, umbrella shaped crown.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium humid to dry loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought tolerant.

4. Mexican Cypress (Cupressus lusitanica)

Another towering variety from Central America is Mexican cypress, which you can identify thanks to its crown shape. Though it varies slightly, it is mainly oval and pointed, but sometimes a bit more on the conical side, especially when young. Reaching 115 feet tall (35 meters), it has a fairly open habit, though not too much, and bright to mid green foliage, sometimes with blue tones in it. The cones of this species are quite distinctive when they are young, bluish and with “horns”, but they ripen to mid brown.

Thanks to its upright trunk and balanced shape, Mexican cypress has become a popular garden variety, where you can grow it as a specimen plant or even in wooded areas, to add some soft geometry. It is also used to make it into bonsai trees!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 9 to 12.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Foliage color: bright to mid green, sometimes with some blue.
• Cones: round, with warts, blue when young, brown when mature.
• Size: up to 115 feet tall (35 meters) and 65 feet in spread (20 meters).
• Shape: oval, upright.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium humid to dry loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought tolerant.

5. Chinese Weeping Cypress (Cupressus funebris)

One of the easiest natural varieties to identify, Chinese weeping cypress needs no introduction. Its pendulous frond like leaves, long and bright green in color, give you the idea of cascading branches, though it is only the foliage that achieve this effect. On the contrary, the branches, mostly hidden behind this dense canopy, point up and out, at about 45 degrees. The overall shape of the crown of this large conifer is conical, quote broad at the base. It has been a garden tree in Asia, its native region, for a very long time indeed, and it is now becoming popular in the West as well.

Chinese weeping cypress has that special look that makes it soft and dreamy, and it is common in public parks, but if you have a large garden, it could be an excellent choice as a specimen plant or at the borders of a wooded area.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 7 to 10.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Foliage color: bright green.
• Cones: round to oval, with warts, light brown.
• Size: 65 to 115 feet tall (20 to 35 meters) and 20 to 50 feet in spread (6.0 to 15 meters).
• Shape: conical.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium humid to dry loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought tolerant.

6. Bhutan Cypress (Cupressus cashmariana)

Coming from the Himalayas, Bhutan cypress too has weeping foliage, but, unlike its Chinese relative, it has a very pointed pyramidal shape, especially when it reaches adulthood. The long frond like leaves drop from branches that point mainly outward, with about a 30 degree angle with the ground. Look at them closely, and you will see that they resemble long and soft drooping feathers. The color too is very decorative indeed, ranging from bright green to an impressive turquoise, and often with silver reflexes.

Arguably one of the most decorative varieties of this conifer of all, Bhutan cypress is indeed very popular in gardens all over the world. It can work in almost any informal contexts, from Japanese gardens to urban ones.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 9 to 11.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Foliage color: bright green turquoise with silver reflexes.
• Cones: mid brown with a few warts.
• Size: 40 to 60 feet tall (12 to 18 meters) and 20 to 30 feet in spread (6.0 to 9.0 meters).
• Shape: pyramidal.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium humid to dry loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought tolerant.

REAL CYPRESS TYPES AND VARIETIES: CULTIVARS

Cultivars of cypress are many and they are more common for gardening. Breeders have enhanced some special qualities, like foliage color, shape, and size. And, in fact, there are many small varieties, suitable for modest gardens. Let’s see how beautiful they are and how you can identify them.

1. Smooth Arizona Cypress (Cupressus arizonica var. glabra ‘Blue Ice’)

You will recognize smooth Arizona cypress by its main gardening asset: its foliage. Very finely textured, lace like and dense, it has an intense, bright and eye catching silver blue color! The needles are waxy, arranged in a spiral and they keep their amazing shade all year round! It has a conical and pointed shape even needle like, more pyramidal when it is young. But don’t worry; this is a fast growing variety which will soon develop into a middle sized conifer tree. The cones are purplish when they are unripe, and then they turn into brown.

Smooth Arizona cypress is a very adaptable garden cultivar: you can have it as a specimen, almost sculptural conifer, thanks to its bright and icy look; but it is equally suitable for tall hedges and screens, or to add an interesting color to a wooded area, especially in a Mediterranean garden. And it is a fairly cold hardy variety too!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 6 to 9,
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Foliage color: bright silver blue.
• Cones: purple when unripe, brown when ripe.
• Size: 40 to 50 feet tall (12 to 15 meters) and 15 to 20 feet in spread (4.5 to 6.0 meters).
• Shape: columnar, pointed, needle like.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium humid to dry loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought tolerant.

2. Lemon Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest Wilma’)

The name of this common cultivar gives you a hint on how to identify it: it has a bright lime green color to its foliage, which turns to golden during the cold months! Ideal for a splash of energy and light, it is a small variety with a pyramidal shape and upright branches, and a winner of the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society. And there is another clue for you: the fragrance of the foliage is citrusy, like lemon indeed! Being so much loved, it’s also easy to find in nurseries or online.

Small but packed with energy, light and a fresh aroma, lemon cypress is a real garden star! You can grow it in hedges, screens, coastal gardens, as a specimen plant or even in containers! It’s best to water it regularly when it is young, but it will tolerate dry spells once it has become established.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 7 to 11.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Foliage color: lime green to golden.
• Cones: smooth, round, light brown.
• Size: 10 to 12 feet tall (3.0 to 3.6 meters) and 3 to 4 feet in spread (90 to 120 cm).
• Shape: pyramidal, pointed.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium humid to dry loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought tolerant.

3. ‘Green Arrow’ Nootka Cypress (Cupressus nutkatensis ‘Green Arrow’)

Here is another cultivar you will find it easy to recognize, thanks to its shape: ‘Green Arrow’ Nootka cypress! Of course, it has a long and narrow crown that ends in a very pointed tip! The needle like shape of this conifer is then complemented by well spaced descending branches, giving you a slender and elegant presence.

Then again, you need to add another striking feature to its description: the frond like drooping mid green foliage! Very unusual indeed, it also has the habit of taking on human looking shapes! No wonder it has won the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society.

‘Green Arrow’ is a really sculptural conifer for a very strong, bold vertical accent in any garden, even in cold regions, and a favorite with professionals all over the world. It’s like having a small Eiffel Tower in your green space, ideal also as an elegant but unusual focal point!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 4 to 8.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Foliage color: mid to dark green.
• Cones: round, light brown with a ponied wart for each scale.
• Size: 18 to 33 feet tall (5.4 to 10 meters) and 2 to 5 feet in spread (60 cm to 1.5 meters).
• Shape: needle like.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium to lightly humid loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to neutral.

4. ‘Raywood’s Weeping’ Arizona Cypress (Cupressus arizonica ‘Raywood’s Weeping’)

The unusual cultivar of Arizona cypress that goes by the name of ‘Raywood’s Weeping’ is impossible to confuse. In fact, you will recognize it by the fact that it looks like a little ghost or Cousin It… Slender and pointed, it has both arching, branches and a short “fur” of bluish green to silver blue hanging needles that cover them. The branches start from low down the trunk, and they often end up spreading on the ground at the feet of this ghostly conifer. Fairly small, only up to 25 feet tall (7.5 meters) and upright, it will often have a crooked top, resembling a hood from a distance.

A very playful cultivar, ‘Raywood’s Weeping’ Arizona cypress is an excellent point of conversation in gardens, even small, where it really deserves a central place and in a focal point, where everybody can marvel at this strange creature from a gothic novel.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 7 to 11.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Foliage color: blue green to silver blue.
• Cones: violet blue with a pointed wart on each scale when unripe, brown when ripe.
• Size: up to 25 feet tall (7.5 meters) and 15 feet in spread (4.5 meters).
• Shape: needle like.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium humid to dry loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought tolerant.

5. ‘Pendula’ Nootka Cypress (Cupressus nutkatensis ‘Pendula’)

‘Pendula’, the name of this Nootka cypress variety, really helps you identify this medium sized conifer tree… The outward pointing, upward bending slender branches of this variety are in fact draped in hanging foliage, which cascades elegantly from them. The leaves are dark green, sometimes with a bluish shade to them, and the overall effect is very soft, like small veils, or finely laced curtains or frilly sleeves hanging from a drying line… Also distinctive is the very well defined, pointed and pyramidal shape of the crown, which is quite dense as well as lush.

Winner of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society, ‘Pendula’ Nootka cypress is a great focal point in gardens, or it can add an original touch to wooded areas. It looks like a praying tree, with its arms turned to the sky!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 4 to 7.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Foliage color: dark green, sometimes with blue.
• Cones: round, with a pointed wart on each scale, light brown when ripe.
• Size: 20 to 33 feet tall (6.0 to 10 meters) and 8 to 12 feet in spread (2.4 to 3.6 meters).
• Shape: pyramidal, pointed.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium to lightly humid loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to neutral.

FALSE, BALD AND POND CYPRESS VARIETIES

Now we come to the most beautiful, popular and intriguing varieties of false cypress trees (Chamaecyparis) and bald and pond cypress (Taxodium). Many cultivars are quite useful for modest gardens, thanks to their small size. So, check them out!

1. Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)

The deciduous or semi-evergreen Taxodium distichum from the southeastern United States is the species we identify fully as “bald cypress”. With an upright, tapering straight trunk is a clearly recognizable feature of this medium sized conifer, as is the pyramidal shape of the crown, with an open habit. The fine, feathery foliage is sage green, and delicate looking, but when falls comes, its color changes to orange red and cinnamon brown, a display which makes it very valuable for gardens. It is also very useful because unlike other “cypresses” it can grow and thrive in waterlogged soil.

Ideal for river banks and ponds, or for poorly drained soil, bald cypress is a very special conifer indeed! It will solve you many problems if your garden has these very harsh growing conditions.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 11.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Foliage color: sage green, very colorful in fall.
• Cones: round, smooth, light brown when ripe.
• Size: 50 to 70 feet tall (15 to 21 meters) and 20 to 30 feet in spread (6.0 to 9.0 meters).
• Shape: pyramidal.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well or poorly drained, medium humid to wet and waterlogged loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to neutral. It is wet soil tolerant.

2. ‘Ellwoody’ Lawson Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Ellwoody’)

The cultivar of Lawson cypress we call ‘Ellwoody’ is like a beautiful blue column, and this makes it easy to recognize. The very dense foliage forms a soft looking and finely textured crown that starts from the ground, at the feet of this upright and columnar small conifer. The foliage is silver blue in color, and very decidedly so!

Very easy to grow, it will achieve this unique and sculptural shape with no need of pruning it, like topiary but without the effort, because it is naturally so. Given the great value it has for gardening, the Royal Horticultural Society has given this variety the Award of Garden Merit.

Fairly cold hardy, ‘Ellwoody’ Lawson cypress is perfect for a vertical accent with a great and eye catching color tonality as a specimen plant or in hedges, and it is even suitable to formal gardens.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 8.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Foliage color: silver blue.
• Cones: violet when unripe, light brown when ripe.
• Size: 13 to 20 feet tall (4.0 to 6.0 meters) and 5 to 8 feet in spread (1.5 to 2.4 meters).
• Shape: columnar, cylindrical.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium to lightly humid loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to neutral.

3. ‘Pygmaea’ Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Pygmaea’)

Unlike most other varieties, ‘Pygmaea” Hinoki cypress has a round crown, filled with finely textured bright green leaves that concentrate in clusters, or clouds, which would look lovely in a Japanese garden! The fan shaped foliage will then turn to an olive shade during the cold months of the year. It is a dwarf cultivar, growing only 3 feet tall (90 cm), and its compact habit and regular shape make it very sculptural and, because it is slow growing (3 inches, or 7.0 cm per year), it will give you structure all year round and with a steady presence and effect in your garden.

So tiny that it will easily grow in containers, ‘Pygmaea’ Hinoki cypress is really adaptable to most garden styles, cottage to city, rookeries, and you could also grow it in your borders or beds for shape and structure.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 4 to 8.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Foliage color: bright green, olive.
• Cones: smooth, round, brown when ripe.
• Size: 2 to 3 feet tall (60 to 90 cm) and 4 to 5 feet in spread (1.2 to 1.5 meters).
• Shape: round.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium humid to dry loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought tolerant.

4. ‘Pinpoint Blue’ Lawson Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Pinpoint Blue’)

‘Pinpoint Blue’ describes this cultivar of Lawson cypress very well indeed! This small shrubby conifer bred from an Oregon and California species has a pointed, plume shaped crown that starts straight from the very base of the plant, at ground level. The feathery foliage is quite intricate, like snow flakes, with small needle like leaflets developing like rays from other leaflets. The final effect is that of filigree or lace! And you need to keep in mind the turquoise blue color of the foliage to get a full picture of this great garden variety!

‘Pinpoint Blue’ Lawson cypress will do a great job to any small garden, where you can grow it as a specimen plant, for a colorful vertical accent or even use it for your hedges, or even as an elegant foundation plant in front of your house.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 7,
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Foliage color: turquoise blue.
• Cones: pale violet when unripe, brown when ripe.
• Size: 6 to 8 feet tall (1.8 to 2.4 meters) and 5 to 6 feet in spread (1.5 to 1.8 meters).
• Shape: conical, pointed, plume shaped.
• Soil and water requirements: well drained, medium humid, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to neutral.

5. ‘Nutans’ Pond Cypress (Taxodium distichum var. imbricatum ‘Nutans’)

This medium sized conifer has a very distinctive, airy and fresh look, which makes it easy to identify and very decorative in gardens… The crown is either conical, usually with a broad base, or columnar, but the crown will only start higher up the slender and straight, upright trunk.

The outward branches are draped in waterfalls of soft, very fine and light looking foliage, very feathery in appearance. This deciduous tree’s needle like leaves appear in spring, bright green, but they will blush to rust orange and then cinnamon brown as the cold season approaches.

‘Nutans’ pond cypress is in fact a bald variety of Taxodium, so it is tolerant of poorly drained and waterlogged soils. So, grow it next to a river or pond to bring its floating magic to your wet garden.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 9.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Foliage color: bright green, rust orange and cinnamon brown in fall.
• Cones: round, smooth and brown when ripe.
• Size: 30 to 70 feet tall (9.0 to 21 meters) and 15 to 20 feet in spread (4.5 to 6.0 meters).
• Shape: conical or columnar.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well or poorly drained, medium humid to wet loam or clay based soil with pH from acidic to neutral. It is wet soil tolerant.

6. ‘Golden Mop’ Sawara Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Golden Mop’)

‘Golden Mop’ Sawara conifer will add fluffy, cascading thin and bright looking foliage to your garden all year round! With a conical or sometimes globose crown and dense habit, this short, dwarf shrubby conifer, in fact, has drooping leaves, very fine, almost like silk, and… The color display is really elegant and sparking indeed!

When it emerges in spring, it has golden threads interwoven with the bright green leaflets of the previous year! It will keep its glittering sheen into the warmer months as well. With a small growth rate of about 2 inches per year (5.0 cm), it is perfect for small gardens. It is also one of the shortest cultivars ever, sometimes stopping at 1 foot tall (30 cm)!

While ‘Golden Mop’ is perfect for large rock gardens and foundation planting, its sparkly personality makes it invaluable to all informal garden styles, where you want light, air and soft elegance!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 4 to 8.
• Light exposure: full Sun or light shade.
• Foliage color: bright green and golden.
• Cones: round, bumpy, green or violet when unripe, brown when ripe.
• Size: 1 to 5 feet tall and in spread (30 cm to 1.5 meters).
• Shape: conical or globular.
• Soil and water requirements:  well drained, medium humid to dry loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to mildly alkaline. It is drought tolerant.

7. ‘Kamarachiba’ Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Kamarachiba’)

‘Kamarachiba’ Hinoki cypress must be one of the most colorful of all “false” varieties! And one of the smallest! Forming a low lying, very dense prostrate shrub, it has a globular shape, very finely textured and with arching, almost draping fronds that give it a particularly fluffy look.

But let’s come to the main feature of this cultivar: its amazing colors! Starting off very bright green with golden “highlights” in spring, it then drops the yellow in summer, only to start blushing with bronze, copper and even red! At the same time, the little stems that hold this display may even turn bright purple! Its chromatic qualities have gained it the Award of Garden Merit by the Royal Horticultural Society.

This little wonder, ‘Kamarachiba’ Hinoki cypress is the perfect dwarf for a continuous and surprising color display in beds and borders of cottage, city and rock gardens, as well as in containers!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 4 to 8.
• Light exposure: full Sun.
• Foliage color: bright green, golden yellow, copper, bronze, red.
• Cones: smooth, round, brown when ripe.
• Size: 1 to 2 feet tall (30 to 60 cm) and 2 to 3 feet in spread (60 to 90 cm).
• Shape: round, globular, prostrate.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well drained, medium to lightly humid loam, clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to neutral.

8. ‘Curly Tops’ Sawara Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Curly Tops’)

Here is a very distinctive cultivar of Chamaecyparis pisifera: the unmistakeable ‘Curly Tops’ Sawara cypress! The name suggests a way you can recognize it: the lateral shoots are curled, hence the name. Also, the foliage is incredibly soft to the touch, and there is more… The color is really unique, with a steel blue shade which looks like it has white reflexes in the Sun!

A small bushy conifer, the dense crown will start at ground level and form globular, dense clump of needle like and icy looking foliage that has gained it the Award of Garden Merit as well as the Cary Award by the Royal Horticultural Society.

For striking color and fine foliage in beds, borders, containers and as foundation planting, ‘Curly Tops’ Sawara cypress has very few matches!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 4 to 8.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Foliage color: steel blue.
• Cones: round, bumpy and brown when ripe.
• Size: 1 to 5 feet tall and in spread (30 cm to 1.5 meters).
• Shape: globular.
• Soil and water requirements: well drained, medium to lightly humid clay, chalk or sand based soil with pH from acidic to neutral.

9. Pond Cypress (Taxodium ascandens)

The name, pond cypress, will give you a clue about where you can find this species from the southeastern United States, but it won’t tell you how to recognize it… The base of the upright and straight and ridged trunk has a massive bulge, like the foot of an elephant, and this is actually due to wet soil… Above, you will see elegant, spaced branches that grow outwards and slightly upwards.

Finely textured cloudlets of thin bright green foliage give the pyramidal crown a very open and airy look. But the leaves will turn orange and golden brown when the cold days approach, before this deciduous conifer drops them.

A tree of outstanding beauty, pond cypress is a queen of waterlogged soils, like river banks or wet gardens, but you can grow it in regular land as well, and its beauty makes it worthwhile!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 5 to 10.
• Light exposure: full Sun or partial shade.
• Foliage color: bright green, then orange and golden brown.
• Cones: round, green and purple when unripe, brown when ripe.
• Size: 50 to 60 feet tall (15 to 18 meters) and 10 to 15 feet in spread (3.0 to 4.5 meters).
• Shape: pyramidal.
• Soil and water requirements: deep, well or poorly drained, medium humid to wet and waterlogged loam or clay based soil with pH from acidic to neutral. It is wet soil tolerant.

CYPRESS VARIETIES: TRUE, FALSE, BALD AND POND – BUT ALL BEAUTIFUL!

What an amazing conifer! Coming in so many shapes, colors and sizes, cypress is one of the best trees for gardens and wooded areas. Ok, it’s a big crowd, with true, false, bald, pond and other varieties, but now you can identify all the most useful for landscaping. And now you know which of these beauties you really need in your green space – and you can make an informed choice, but don’t forget to use your evergreen heart too!