Chamaecyparis - False Cypress, White Cedar
(Chamaecy'paris)
DESCRIPTION: This is the botanical name for the False Cypress, also known as White Cedars. These evergreen trees are suitable for growing as hedges and for lawn decoration. They are natives of North America and Japan. The branches of the False Cypress are somewhat flattened and they are covered rather closely with flattened, scale-like, bluish-green leaves, which overlap each other. The cones are round, about a quarter of an inch in diameter, with thick shield-shaped scales. They are bluish-purple with a whitish bloom in the beginning, but afterwards turn brown. The tree's bark is thin and reddish-brown and it sloughs off in thin, shredded strips. C. lawsoniana (Lawson's Cypress) is found wild in Oregon and California. This tree forms a magnificent pyramid of greenery ranging from 172 to 200 feet in height. It is useful for planting as a yard ornament by itself, for planting in groups, or for avenue planting. It makes an excellent hedge or screen. C. lawsoniana var. columnaris is a small, slender, conical tree with dense, ascending branches and flattened sprays of bluish-green leaves. C. lawsoniana var. lutea is a medium-sized tree with a narrow, drooping top. The feathery sprays of foliage are golden yellow. The wood of the False Cypress is light, soft and delicately scented. It isn't strong, but is durable in contact with the soil. It is widely used in the making of small boats, for siding, cooperage, shingles, railroad ties, etc. . .
POTTING: False Cypress will thrive in almost any garden soil where the atmosphere is clean. They won't survive in polluted locales. Soil that is always moist, but not waterlogged is the best; C. thyoides, however, is one that inhabits the swamps of eastern North America and can be successfully grown in soil that isn't well drained. If they are planted in soil that is too dry, their growth will be stunted. The False Cypress should be positioned where they are shaded from harsh winter sun and sheltered from strong winds. The trees should be set far enough apart so that their branches do not intermingle before they are full-grown. The larger growing varieties should be set from15 to 20 feet apart if they are to be planted in groups. Several kinds of False Cypress, notably C. thyoides and C. nootkatensis, can be used for hedges. Instead of being pruned in the usual way, only the long shoots are clipped.
PROPAGATION: Seeds can be sown in the spring, in containers filled with fine, light soil. Hybrids should be increased by inserting cuttings of short shoots, 2 to 4 inches in length, in a propagating case in a warm greenhouse. They may also be grafted onto seedlings of their respective types, which were previously established in pots.
VARIETIES: C. Lawsoniana (Lawson's Cypress) & var. albo-spica, Allumii, Alumigold, Aurea Densa, Backhouse Silver, Bleu Nantais, Broomhill Gold, Chilworth Silver, Columnaris, Elegantissima, Ellwoodii, Ellwood's Gold, Ellwood's Pillar, Ellwood's Silver, Ellwood's White, Erecta, Fletcheri, Forsteckensis, Fraseri, Gimbornii, Golden Pot, Golden Wonder, Grayswood Feather, Grayswood Pillar, Green Globe, Green Hedger, Green Pillar, Intertexta, Kilmacurragh, Lane, Little Spire, Lutea, Lutea Nana, Minima Aurea, Minima Glauca, Naberi, Pembury Blue, Pottenii, Pygmaea Argentea, Silver Threads, Snow White, Stardust, Stewartii, Summer Snow, Tamariscifolia, Treasure, Triomf van Boskoop, Van Pelt, Westermannii, White Spot, Winston Churchill, Wisselii, Witzeliana, Yellow Transparent, glauca,
C. pisifera (Sawara Cypress) & var. Plumosa, Plumosa Argentea, Plumosa Aurea, Plumosa Aurea Compacta, Plumosa Compressa, Plumosa Rogersii, Snow, Sungold, Squarrosa, Squarrosa Sulphurea, Filifera Aurea, Filifera Nana, Filifera Nana Aurea, Gold Spangle, Golden Mop, Nana, Nana Aureovariegata, Boulevard.
C. obtusa (Hinoki Cypress) & var. aurea, Coralliformis, Fernspray Gold, Kosteri, Mariesii, Crippsii, compacta, Tempelhof, Tetragona Aurea, formosana, lycopodioides, tetragona, tetragona aurea. Dwarf var. - Chabo-yadori, caespitosa, minima, nana, nana aurea, nana gracilis, pygmaea, Tonia.
C. Formosensis (Formosan Cypress)
C. nootkatensis (Nootka Sound Cypress) & var. lutea, pendula.
C. thyoides & var. Andelyensis, Andelyensis Nana, Ericoides, Purple Heather.
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