Plant Library

Description:

A columnar form shaped into a spiral, with exceptionally dense blue-green foliage; very slow growing; makes a wonderful container specimen or a dramatic accent on the landscape

Ornamental Features

Italian Cypress Spiral is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its rigidly columnar form. It has attractive bluish-green evergreen foliage. The scale-like sprays of foliage are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Italian Cypress Spiral is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with 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 shrub, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. 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.

Italian Cypress Spiral is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Italian Cypress Spiral will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It has a low canopy, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more.

This shrub 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 may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.

Italian Cypress Spiral makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use 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.