Plant Library

Brand:  Iseli

Description:

A very attractive variety with upright branches producing a narrow form; chartreuse new foliage surrounds luminous lemon yellow inner foliage; excellent when used as a color contrast in the garden or containers; can be maintained as a hedge

Ornamental Features

Donard Gold Monterey Cypress is primarily valued in the landscape for its rigidly columnar form. It has attractive lemon yellow foliage with hints of light green which emerges chartreuse in spring. The scale-like sprays of foliage are highly ornamental and remain lemon yellow throughout the winter. The rough antique red bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Donard Gold Monterey Cypress is a dense evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Donard Gold Monterey Cypress is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Donard Gold Monterey Cypress will grow to be about 25 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in poor soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species.

Donard Gold Monterey Cypress is a fine choice for the yard, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.