X Cuprocyparis

Cupressaceae
Evergreen, Trees

A hybrid between Chamaecyparisnootkatensis and Cupressusmacrocarpa, this conifer growsvery fast—from cuttings to 15–20 ft. high in 5 years. It ismost often planted as a quickscreen. In gardens, it usuallyreaches 60–70 ft. tall by 8–15 ft. wide and can be prunedinto a tall (10–15 ft.) hedge but will quickly get away from you without regular maintenance.Long, slender, upright branches with flattened gray-greenfoliage sprays give youthfultrees a narrow, pyramidalform, though they can becomeopen and floppy. It producessmall cones composed ofscales.

‘Naylor’s Blue’ has grayish blue foliage; ‘Castlewellan’ has golden new growth and narrow, erect habit; ‘Golconda’ has a more refined, formal pyramidal habit with bright lemon yellow new growth; ‘Gold Rider’ also has golden new growth andeventually forms a pyramid35 ft. high by 15 ft. wide; and‘Emerald Isle’ has bright greenfoliage on a plant 20–25 ft. tall,6–8 ft. wide.

Will accept a wide variety of soils and climate conditions. It also takes strong wind. To maintainas a hedge, shear severaltimes during the growing season, making sure not to cut into old wood. In warm-summerregions, loses stiff, uprighthabit and is subject to coryneum canker fungus, reaching only 30–40 ft. tall before dying from the disease.