Ornamental cypress varieties and their characteristics.
Get the right cypress variety for your specific needs.
Written by Collins Omanga.
Cypress trees are perhaps one of the most versatile trees species in the world. Their versatility has made them among the most widely grown plants species in the world, being used around the world for different reasons including ;
Used as a live fencing option.
Used as a house plant or containerized.
Used as a shade and windbreak option.
Used as a Christmas tree.
Used for their scents and fragrances among others.
In this post we seek to make a list of all different varieties of cypress available at our nursery, their characteristics and the best use cases for each specific type of cypress variety.
Italian Cypress ;
Italian cypress, also known as Cupressus sempervirens is a taller variety among the ornamental Cypress varieties originating from the Mediterranean region, this tree can grow up to fifteen metres high. It is characterized by its dark green leaves and a column like shape that can reach a width span of up to five feet. These trees are mostly used for landscaping as a windbreak and are unsuitable to plant in containers given its fast growth rate which can be one metre of growth per year. Italian Cypress do well in a well drained loamy soils and requires watering in the earlier stages of development, to get a good survival rate when transplanting, a customer should pick a tree that is above one foot from the nursery.
Lemon Cypress ;
The lemon Cypress is also known as Goldcrest and is characterized by a light green leaf colour coupled with a lemon fragrance. This variety is a dwarf variety and rarely grows above ten inches per year. The slow growth rate and the ability to produce the lemon fragrance makes it a suitable containerized and indoors plant. The tree is drought resistant but may need occasional watering. Fertilizer application and pruning are also necessary to maintain a healthy and well kept appearance. We recommend this tree for people who like a live Christmas tree due to its shape.
Baby Blue Cypress ;
As you can tell from the name, the baby blue Cypress variety is characterized by bluish green colour and is also known as Chamaecyparis pisifera. This variety grows four to six feet tall and is an ideal variety to put in containers and indoors. Among the ornamental varieties mentioned in this post, this variety is low maintenance and can do well in low or partial light without regular watering. The shrub can be trimmed to maintain its pyramid like shape. The variety is one of the more rare types of varieties and can be hard to find.