Lawson cypress 'Columnaris'

Synonyms: Lawson's cypress 'Columnaris'

Lawson cypress – a small evergreen tree with a narrow columnar crown. Branches grow vertically upwards, thin, rigid, branched from the ground, dense. Twigs are short, up to 10 cm long, dense, evenly arranged, brownish-green. With age the crown becomes compact and dense. Reaches 6-10 m in height, 1-1.5 (2) m in width. Annual growth – 20 cm in height and 5 cm in width. At 10 years reaches 3-4 m in height.

Foliage scale-like, densely set, pressed closely to the shoot, bluish-steel in color, later becomes bluish-green, aromatic.

Root system well developed, abundantly branched, mainly consisting of adventitious roots.

Hardiness zone: 5b

Location: Prefers fresh, moist, well-drained, neutral or strongly alkaline fertile soil (pH 4.5 - 5.5). Tolerant of urban emissions, copes well with shade. Sensitive to compaction and turfing of the topsoil.

Planting: Dig a hole at least 50 cm deep and wide. Soil mix: humus, topsoil, peat, sand in the ratio 3:2:1:2. When planting, add mineral fertilizer - 5-6 kg of peat-compost, mixing it with the soil.

Pruning: tolerates pruning well.

Care: in spring you can fertilize with Kemira (100-150 g), spreading it around the trunk circle and then watering the plant abundantly. In April-May you can apply nitroammophoska (30-40 g). It is also recommended to add raised peat – to top up the surface several times during the season. Autumn fertilization is not recommended.

Diseases and pests: practically not affected by diseases and pests.

Use: used for creating hedges. Looks excellent as a specimen on a lawn, as well as in groups near houses.