Species: Chamaecyparis obtusa
Common name: Hinoki cypress, hinoki falsecypress, Japanese cypress
Plant overview
Chamaecyparis obtusa – A tall, evergreen coniferous tree, the Hinoki cypress hails from Southern Japan. The soaring tree is often used for privacy screens because it’s so tall and dense, but Chamaecyparis obtusa are often also used as ornamental plantings or, in dwarf form, as a bonsai. Chamaecyparis obtusa trees feature globose cones that are 8 to 12 millimeters in diameter. Although dwarf cultivars exist that are just a couple of feet tall, Chamaecyparis obtusa trees can grow to be as tall as 130 feet in its native zones.
This tree has a slow to medium growth rate and can grow about 12 inches per year (some cultivars grow much more slowly). It is typically planted in fall or early spring and can be grown from seed sown in spring.
CHARACTERISTICS
| Common name | Hinoki cypress, hinoki falsecypress, Japanese cypress |
| Plant type | Shrub, tree |
| Mature size | 15 to 30 feet wide and up to 115 feet tall |
| Sun exposure | Full sun to part-shade |
| Soil type | Moist, fertile, well-drained |
| Soil ph | 5.0 to 6.0 |
| Hardiness zones | 5, 6, 7, 8 |
| Native area | Japan |
Water
When you first plant your cypress tree, water it weekly for the first year. Keep the soil around the tree moist by watering during the spring, summer, and fall months. When winter arrives, stop watering the tree—it will harden itself to survive the harsh weather. After the tree has established, you only need to water during severe and prolonged droughts.
How to grow
Hinoki cypress trees don’t do well as transplants when fully matured. Therefore, if you want to grow this type of tree, place it as a sapling or plant the seeds in a location that can handle its large size at maturity. These cypress trees, once established, don’t require much maintenance.
Light
A Hinoki cypress tree does best in an area that gets full sun for six hours a day or part-shade. Avoid areas that get direct sun the majority of the day because the tree could develop sun scorch.
Soil
Hinoki cypress trees grow best in cool, moist soil that’s neutral to slightly acidic, so put a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch around the base of the tree. The layer of mulch will keep that soil cool, as well as fend off weeds that could harm the tree. The soil surrounding a Hinoki cypress tree should be porous and drain well to avoid too much water around the plant.
Temperature and humidity
The Hinoki cypress tree enjoys a humid climate. In the U.S., it’s best-suited for USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5, 6, 7, and 9, which covers the majority of the middle of the country.
Fertilizer
Feed newly planted trees (in fall or early spring) with a slow-release, acidifying fertilizer. Otherwise, mature trees may need no feeding unless the soil is deficient.
Varieties
There are more than 200 cultivars of Hinoki cypress trees, including dwarf species that only grow to 12 inches. The Taiwan cypress (Chamaecyparis taiwanesis) isn’t a cultivar of a Hinoki cypress but is closely related to the Japanese species. It differs by having smaller cones, smaller scales, and leaves with a more acute apex. True cultivars of the Japanese cypress include:
- Butter Ball: A globose dwarf variety that showcases bright yellow tips on its foliage with darker green inner foliage.
- Confucious: An intermediate-sized plant that has yellow outer foliage and shades of green and yellow inner foliage.
- Ellie B.: A miniature variety with dark green foliage in the warm months and bronze tones in the winter.
- Gemstone: Features an irregular upright form and matures slowly; has varied shades of light and dark green foliage.
- Gracilis: Showcases open branches and a pyramidal form; has more of slender shape than other types of cultivars.
- Fernspray Gold: Grows to about 11 feet and needs ample moisture; features sprays of green and yellow branches.
- Just Dandy: Grows to the size of a large beach ball within a few years and remains wider than it is tall; has tight foliage.
- Kosteri: Grows to between 6.6 feet to 9.8 feet tall; features brilliant green foliage.
- Melody: Features bright yellow foliage and requires well-drained soil; narrow when young but fills out as it matures.
- Nana: Dark green and grows to about 3 feet tall; considered an industry standard that grows well throughout the entire year.
- Nana Gracilis: Features tiny, richly textured branches. Although this is a dwarf cultivar, it has reached up to 11 feet in some cultivations.
- Nana Lutea: The slow-growing golden-yellow counterpart to Nana Gracilis; prefers a little bit more shade than other cultivars, particularly during harsh summer months.
- Reis Dwarf: A dwarf variety that can be pruned into unusual formations as a bonsai tree.
- Sunny Swirl: Characterized by the cockscombs that sometimes develop at the tips; features mahogany red bark and yellow, green, and gold foliage.
- Tetragona Aurea: Grows to 59 feet tall; features a narrow crown and irregular branching
Pruning
When the upright branches of a Hinoki cypress tree forks, you can prune it. Cut into new wood, rather than the older brown branches. Prune back dead branches, as well as those that seem out of place, in order to keep the tree looking its best. Ideally, prune during the summer months.
