Plants in family cupressaceae
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Gold Mop'
This plant has a compact and rounded low-growing habit with golden yellow weeping foliage. It reaches 3-4 feet in height and width, is cold hardy down to USDA Zone 4-8, and thrives in full sun with well-draining garden soil.
Juniperus rigida ssp. conferta
Juniperus rigida ssp. conferta, commonly known as shore juniper, is an evergreen groundcover with green foliage heavily splotched with bright gold. It spreads about 4-6 feet wide and grows best in full sun with good drainage. This drought-tolerant plant is ideal for erosion control and provides habitat for small wildlife, making it a versatile choice for various landscapes.
Cupressus sempervirens
Cupressus sempervirens, commonly known as the Mediterranean cypress, is a medium-sized coniferous evergreen tree native to the eastern Mediterranean and Iran. It can grow up to 130 feet tall and is noted for its conic crown and dense sprays of dark green foliage. This tree is highly adaptable, thriving in both acidic and alkaline soils, and is drought-tolerant once established. It is fire-resistant under certain conditions and has a long lifespan, with some trees living over 1,000 years. The wood is durable and insect-repellent, making it valuable for various uses.
Juniperus virginiana 'Grey Owl'
Juniperus virginiana 'Grey Owl' is a prostrate variety known for its soft silver-green foliage and Christmas tree scent. It serves as a low hedge or tall groundcover, reaching 2-3 feet in height and 4-6 feet in width. This drought-tolerant plant thrives in full to part sun and is resistant to insects and diseases, making it a hardy choice for USDA Zones 4-9.
Hesperocyparis arizonica
Hesperocyparis arizonica, commonly known as the Arizona cypress, is a fast-growing evergreen tree with fragrant, scaled foliage and a silver-blue hue. It features a naturally conical form and reddish-brown bark, making it an attractive choice for privacy screens or wind barriers. This tree is heat and drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and salt-tolerant, thriving in USDA zones 6-9. It grows 12-32 inches per year, reaching a mature height of 30-40 feet and a width of 15-20 feet.
Thuja occidentalis 'Congabe'
These exceptionally uniform shrubs have an almost perfect globe shape with red-orange tips and lime-green interiors. They mature to a size of 3 feet by 3 feet and provide year-round color interest. Thriving in USDA zones 5a to 8b, they prefer full sunlight and dappled shade and are drought tolerant. They grow well in loam, clay, and chalk soils and require watering 2-3 times per week during the first growing season.
Cryptomeria japonica 'Dragon Prince'
With a rounded, compact habit and stiff, light-green foliage, this plant thrives in full sun and is cold hardy to zone 6. It grows to 2-3 feet in height and 3-4 feet in width, preferring moist, rich, acidic soil and annual spring fertilization.
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
The Metasequoia glyptostroboides, also known as the dawn redwood, is a fast-growing, deciduous conifer with feathery, needle-like foliage. Its leaves transition from light green in spring to rich green in summer, and fiery russet in fall. This 'living fossil' was rediscovered in China in the mid-20th century and can reach heights of 70 to 100 feet, with some specimens growing even taller. It thrives in damp soils and requires full sun, making it suitable for USDA hardiness zones 4 to 8. Despite being endangered in the wild due to deforestation, it is widely planted in arboreta and gardens worldwide. The tree is notable for its unique trunk structure, which forms a distinctive 'armpit' under each branch, and its bark that exfoliates in ribbon-like strips.
Hesperotropsis leylandii
Hesperotropsis leylandii is a fast-growing evergreen tree with dense, feathery dark green foliage and a pyramidal shape. It can reach heights of 40-60 feet and widths of 15-25 feet, making it ideal for privacy screens. This tree is drought and salt-tolerant, thriving in well-drained soils and full sun. It is slightly toxic to dogs and not deer-resistant, but it is disease-resistant and grows rapidly, adding 3-5 feet annually.
Juniperus sabina var. davurica
Juniperus sabina var. davurica is an evergreen plant with a low and spreading growth habit. It features deep green foliage with blue undertones and is tolerant of heat, humidity, and salt spray. This drought-tolerant plant is ideal for rock gardens and slopes.
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Paul's Gold'
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Paul's Gold' is a heat-tolerant conifer with cascading golden evergreen foliage. It matures to 5 feet tall and 6 feet wide, tolerating mild droughts. This slow-growing evergreen prefers full sun to partial shade and benefits from spring fertilization.
Cryptomeria japonica 'Globosa Nana'
This evergreen plant has a rounded and cascading shape with blueish-green coloring that turns copper burgundy in colder months. It features long, rope-like, slightly drooping branches and handsome brown cones in fall. Drought tolerant and deer resistant, it grows to 4-8 feet in height and 3-4 feet in width, thriving in USDA hardiness zones 5-9.
Thuja plicata '4ever'
Thuja plicata '4ever' is a brilliant upright evergreen with golden-yellow and emerald green foliage. It has a naturally pyramidal habit and grows 10-12 feet tall, making it ideal for noise and pollution filtering. This heat and drought-tolerant tree thrives in full sun and is hardy in USDA zones 5-8.
Cryptomeria japonica 'Radicans'
Cryptomeria japonica 'Radicans' is an evergreen tree with soft, dense blue-green foliage and red-brown bark. It grows in a columnar to pyramidal shape, reaching heights of 30-50 feet and widths of 15-20 feet. This fast-growing tree can add 3-4 feet per year and thrives in full sun to partial shade. It is adaptable to various soil conditions and is resistant to pests, diseases, and deer. The tree is drought-tolerant and suitable for USDA zones 5-9. Its needles may turn bronze in cold temperatures, adding seasonal interest.
Chamaecyparis pisifera
Chamaecyparis pisifera, commonly known as false cypress, is a fast-growing conifer with distinctive blue, feathery foliage. This plant is known for its tight growth habit and soft, silver-gray leaves that resemble a storm cloud. It is a low-maintenance landscape plant, requiring occasional pruning to maintain its shape. Native to Japan, Chamaecyparis pisifera is often used in gardens for its unique texture and color. Its adaptability to various conditions makes it a popular choice for gardeners looking to add a touch of elegance to their outdoor spaces. This conifer is also appreciated for its ability to attract butterflies, adding ecological value to its ornamental appeal.
Hesperocyparis macrocarpa
Hesperocyparis macrocarpa is a dwarf evergreen with a tight, columnar habit and golden yellow, lemon-scented foliage. It is popular as a holiday decoration and can be grown as a container plant, specimen, or hedge. The foliage releases a strong lemon scent when crushed.
Juniperus pingii
Juniperus pingii is an ornamental juniper native to Northwest Yunnan and Southern Sichuan, China. It grows at high elevations and can reach up to 90 feet in the wild. This conifer is used in bonsai and features lush foliage with pendant branch tips.
Microbiota decussata
Microbiota decussata, also known as Siberian carpet cypress, is a prostrate shrub native to the Russian Far East. It features soft green foliage that forms flat sprays and may turn bronze in winter. This drought-tolerant plant is an excellent groundcover for partially shady areas, spreading up to 4 feet wide and requiring good drainage.
Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'
Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd', also known as Emerald Green Arborvitae, is an evergreen tree with dense foliage ideal for natural privacy screens. It grows 8-15 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide, thriving in USDA zones 3-8. This pyramidal-shaped tree prefers full sun to partial shade and adapts to various soil types, growing about 1 foot per year.
Cryptomeria japonica 'Chapel View'
Cryptomeria japonica 'Chapel View' is an evergreen tree with striking blue-green needle foliage that remains vibrant year-round. It grows to a height of 5-10 feet and a width of 4-8 feet, with a moderate growth rate. This tree is highly resistant to diseases and pests, making it a durable choice for USDA zones 6-9. It prefers full sun and moist, acidic soil, benefiting from annual compost and spring fertilization.
Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star'
Juniperus squamata 'Blue Star' is a colorful groundcover with three-dimensional silvery blue needles. It forms compact mounds up to 15 inches tall and 24 inches wide over ten years. This plant is drought and urban condition tolerant, thriving in full to part sun and well-draining soil.
Thuja plicata 'Green Giant'
Thuja plicata 'Green Giant' is a fast-growing evergreen tree, reaching heights of 40-50 feet and widths of 10-12 feet. Known for its resilience, it withstands heavy snow, ice, and wind, and is resistant to pests and deer. This tree is ideal for creating privacy screens and is hardy in USDA Zones 4-8. It requires full sun and well-draining soil, becoming drought-tolerant once established.
Thuja occidentalis 'Pancake'
This plant has sage green foliage in spring and summer that turns blue in winter. It has a compact and rounded growth habit, reaching 12-18 inches in height and 2-3 feet in width. It requires no pruning, is disease and pest resistant, and is cold hardy and drought tolerant. It thrives in USDA Zones 4-8 and prefers full sun and well-draining garden soil.
Juniperus horizontalis 'Plumosa Andorra'
This is an ornamental and evergreen shrub known for its bright green foliage in spring, which turns blue-green in summer and plumb-colored in winter. It serves as excellent groundcover and is drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and handles urban pollution well. The shrub grows best in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 9 and requires at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily. It typically reaches 6 to 20 inches in height and spreads 5 to 6 feet wide. Birds often use it as a retreat from the cold, and it may produce tiny berry-like cones. Minimal pruning is needed, usually in late winter.
Thuja occidentalis 'Woodwardii'
Thuja occidentalis 'Woodwardii' is an evergreen shrub with a distinct round shape and dense, bright green foliage. It is fast-growing, low maintenance, and adapts to various soil types, making it ideal for privacy hedges.
Fokienia hodginsii
Fokienia hodginsii is a rare conifer from China, notable for its leaves that resemble green coral. It has a loose, upright growth habit and thrives in light shade or partial sun. This unique plant adds an exotic touch to gardens and is appreciated for its unusual foliage.
Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Midget'
Thuja occidentalis 'Hetz Midget' is a compact, rounded evergreen shrub with green feathery foliage that takes on bronze-gold hues in winter. It grows to 4 feet tall and wide, requiring no pruning. This plant is disease and pest resistant, cold hardy, and thrives in full sun to partial shade. It is well-suited for USDA zones 3-9 and prefers well-draining garden soil, making it a low-maintenance choice for landscapes.
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii'
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' is a hardy evergreen ground cover with a low trailing habit and silvery-blue aromatic foliage. It spreads up to 8 feet wide and is tolerant of air pollution and deer. This plant thrives in full sun and well-draining soil, making it ideal for erosion control and dry, sandy terrains.
Taxodium distichum
Taxodium distichum, commonly known as the bald cypress, is a deciduous conifer native to the southeastern United States. It features long, drooping branches and needle-like leaves that turn coppery bronze in fall. This tree is adaptable to a wide range of soil types, including wet and swampy areas, and is known for its distinctive knobby roots, or cypress knees. It can grow over 65 feet tall and is valued for its ornamental foliage and autumnal color.