Chamaecyparis obtusa is known by several names - Japanese cypress, blunt, blunt, hinoki. This is a variety of evergreen conifers cultivated in central Japan. It can be grown everywhere in the temperate climate of the Northern Hemisphere. How to do this and a description of cypress varieties popular in Russia - hereinafter.

Features of the species Obtusa

Tupolis cypress (obtus) is a slowly growing tree up to 50 m high with a straight trunk and smooth bark of a characteristic dark red-brown color. The branches of the plant are thin, closely located in one horizontal plane. The needles are scaly, up to 4 mm long with blunt beveled ends, which gave the cypress its name.

Their upper part is green, and at the base of each scaly needle there is a white stomatal band. In summer, spherical cones with a diameter of 8-12 mm appear on the branches. Smoothly rounded scales make the cone look like a soccer ball, consisting of 8-12 scales.

Did you know? Hinoki means "fire tree." It was used to kindle fire by friction, and this practice is still used in Shinto shrines.

A related species to the cypress cypress is pea cypress, distinguished from it by smaller cones and sharp needles. Both species are grown in Japan to produce high quality wood. The distribution area of ​​culture is broad-leaved forests and foothills.

Top 10 Popular Varieties

Cypress is a popular tree of gardens and parks in Japan, Western Europe and some countries of North America. Breeders have bred many varieties designed to decorate the urban area, including dwarf forms and varieties with yellow needles. Hinoki is also a popular bonsai plant.

Handsome man

Variety Beauty is a powerful tree with a height of more than 20 m with a conical crown. Its short branches are characterized by densely branching branches of needles with a slightly sagging apex. In early summer, orange-red cones with a diameter of up to 10 cm appear on it. Later they darken.

The plant is suitable for both single and group plantings. It can grow on not heavy, acidic soils. It has good winter hardiness and is suitable for cultivation in temperate and northern climates.

Plant seeds are supplied by Gavrish. In the package you will find 0.1 g of seeds, which must pass a period of processing with cold for 2-3 months. To do this, peat or sphagnum moss is poured into the container, seeds are placed on it and put on the lower shelf of the refrigerator for 2-3 months. And in the spring they sow in pots and grow seedlings before planting in the ground next spring.

Did you know? Historically, dull cypress has been one of the most important species used in Japanese architecture. During archaeological excavations dating back to the VIII century, it was confirmed that most of the temple and official buildings of Japan were made of its wood.

Draht

Drach is a vertically growing semi-dwarf variety. It was grown in the German nurseries of J.J. Dracht in the 1960s and received the same name Draht, which means wire. And this very well reflects the texture of his short needles, similar to the scales folded along twisted wire branches. It is characterized by irregularly arranged branches.The needles are evergreen, in the summer saturated emerald green, and in winter with a touch of light bronze.

Within 10 years after planting, the plant reaches a height of 2 m. It belongs to hardy and unpretentious varieties in maintenance. Likes medium fertile, acidic or neutral, moist, but well-drained soil. Mulching of the root zone for this variety is mandatory, although the plant is hardy. It withstands frosts down to -29 ° С (5th winter hardiness zone).

Characteristics:

• slow growing;
• evergreen;
• up to 3 m high;
• up to 1.5 m wide.

It is desirable to grow it in full sun or with little shading. This will help the cypress maintain its compact form. Pruning can be done in early spring after all frosts.

Nana Gracilis

Nana Gracilis is a very attractive variety of hinoki. It has been grown in gardens and parks in Europe for over 100 years. Bred in 1867 by R. Smith in Rogers & amp; Son in the UK. Its dark green needles form a ball with irregular branches. With age, it stretches and takes a conical shape.

It is characterized by slow growth. But it can be grafted, and those varieties that are created on a stock will grow much faster. A typical plant growth rate is 7–15 cm per year. Accordingly, its height will be 0.7–1.5 m after 10 years of development.

Features:

• frost resistance zone: 4th (minimum temperature - from -23.3 ° C to -28.9 ° C);
• soil: loamy, slightly acidic, moderately moist, fertile;
• Lighting: sun or partial shade;
• shelter from the wind is required.

Did you know? The oldest cypress tree in the world is growing in Taiwan. Scientists estimate that he is over 2000 years old.

Tatsumi Gold

Tatsumi Gold is a Japanese cypress tree with thin branches densely covered with tiny, scaly, pointed leaves (needles). On old branches, they tend to crumble, which, oddly enough, makes the bush even more attractive, exposing the orange-brown color of its branches. Young bright yellow needles in the summer become yellow-green. In autumn and winter - golden. Like all golden varieties, it is recommended for growing in the sun. This allows the needles to maintain their bright golden color. In the shade he turns pale.

It is a very slowly growing variety. In his youth, he forms a rounded shape with a central trunk. With age, it stretches and becomes widely pyramidal. Over 10 years, the plant reaches a height of 1.3 m and a width of 1 m. Over the course of a year, Tatsumi grows to 10–12.5 cm.

Tatsumi Gold received in Japan for a very long time. But in Europe it is common only from the 1980s. Suitable for growing in the 5th winter hardiness zone (minimum winter temperature -29 ° C).

Important! Cypress trees do not tolerate transplanting, so plant a seedling immediately in the place where it will grow constantly.

Aurora

Aurora is a small compact coniferous tree that is characterized by irregularly arranged branches and dense greenish-yellow needles. The height of the tree is 90 cm, the width of the crown is 60 cm. The annual growth does not exceed 5 cm. Over time, the crown of Aurora stretches into a conical shape. The variety was bred in 1940 in the Netherlands in the nursery M. Koster and Sons.Suitable for planting in gardens made in the Japanese style, rock garden, on an alpine hill. It will also be good for growing on terraces or balconies in 2-liter pots.

The plant grows well in moist, well-drained soil. Needs regular, but not excessive irrigation. For its landing, select a sunny area, protected from strong winds. The variety is resistant to disease.

Chirimen

Chirimen is a dwarf form of cypress. It got its name from the silk crepe fabric from which Japanese kimonos are made. The variety is interesting in that it forms clusters of vertical shoots of various shapes and colors - from saturated green to gray or bluish.

Important! Cypress need at least 6 hours a day of sunlight. But you need to avoid areas where the sun is constantly present, otherwise its needles will burn.

A typical growth rate is 10 cm per year. Chirimen reaches its full size faster than other cypress varieties. The height that he reaches by 10 years is 45 cm. The plant forms a columnar crown. But sometimes its branches protrude on the sides of this column and create a new vertical growth, which makes it look like a miniature cactus.

The preferred landing site for him is a sunny area, although Chirimen can withstand some shade. It grows well on drained soil. Needs regular feeding during the first years of cultivation.

Teddy Bear

Teddy Bear is a neat and beautiful small coniferous cypress with fern foliage. Probably, the appearance of its leaves was associated by the authors with the texture of a toy bear or soulfulness and safety, which is why the variety was called the Teddy bear.

It grows very slowly, up to about 1 m. It forms a socket at ground level, from where shoots appear. In shape, they resemble fern leaves, only narrowed and thicker. It prefers medium fertile, acidic, moist soil.

Characteristic:

• medium-sized bush;
• upright;
• up to 2 m wide, up to 3 m high;
• with a crown of irregular ovoid shape, which eventually becomes conical;
• Resistant to drought, heat, cold, wind and urban conditions.

Important! Cypress needles are toxic and may cause skin irritation.

Filicoides (Filicoides)

Cypress filikoides (Filicoides) can be both a wide bush and a narrow tree. It has several varietal varieties. But it is always a slow-growing plant of a bizarre shape with saggy branches and short secondary branches. The name “filicoides” itself comes from the Latin “filix” (fern) and the Greek “oides”. Thus, botanists reflected that its leaves look like a fern.

Easy to grow on medium-moist, well-drained soils in a sunny area. But it can grow in partial shade. It prefers fertile soil, so it is advisable to apply balanced, slowly released fertilizers in spring. He will also need shelter from strong winds.

Important! Use only standing water for irrigation of potted cypress trees. This will help them avoid stress from hypothermia and contact with harmful salts, such as chlorine, which is found in tap water.

Contorta

The office is a compact, visually very attractive variety of cypress. It is resistant to most pests and diseases. His curly needles thus wrap around the shoots, so that each of them looks like a unique sculpture and is not like any other. Twigs are separated from the trunk and slightly bent by a hook. And it looks very decorative. It can thrive on any soil, if you protect it from strong gusts of wind and drought.

The main characteristic of the bush:

• type: low-growing, multi-stemmed, evergreen;
• needles: dark green, dense;
• shape: conical;
• height: 30 cm;
• use: landscape accent plant, can be used to create a bonsai, as a hedge, in rock gardens or in a small room;
• Propagated by: cuttings taken in June - September;
• vaccination can be propagated in March;
• Lighting: sun or partial shade;
• soil: well-drained, moist;
• wind protection: required;
• mulch coating: mandatory for the winter to protect the roots from freezing.

Pygmya (Pygmaea)

Pygmy's variety was obtained in Japan a very long time ago. In the 1850s, the English conifer collector Robert Fortuna brought the first copies of this variety to Europe and presented them in the Royal Nursery of Great Britain.

The annual growth of branches is 5–7.5 cm. But Pygmy grows all the same slowly, and this allows her to achieve growth of only 75 cm in 10 years. It grows well in a sunny area. Cutting cypress is carried out in early spring, after the frost ends.

Important! When landing in the shade, Pygmy can drop the lower branches, so this is not recommended.

The variety is hardy and tolerates winter frosts to -29 ° C, but needs to mulch the root zone. This helps prevent root damage when a sharp change in temperature occurs.This is a luxurious wide cypress with sprawling branches, numerous reddish shoots and bronze-green needles. In winter, it becomes noticeably darker.

Other varieties

The breeders' assets include more than 200 varieties of hinoki cypress varying in size and shape. Here you will find both tall trees and small bushes up to 30 cm high.

Some of them are listed below:

1. Cripsy (Crippsii) forms a powerful conical crown with one trunk and golden-green needles. It grows up to 20 m, but it happens even higher.
2. Fernspray Gold (Fernspray Gold) - 3-meter tree with green-yellow branches and a pyramidal crown. The shade of his needles is also called lemon yellow. And the peculiarities of the needles include the fact that they are slightly twisted and flattened, which makes its branches look like a fern.
3. Bronze pigmy (Bronze Pygmy) - a beautiful bush of spherical shape. Its golden branches in winter become a greener shade. It grows well both in containers and in open ground in rockeries.
4. Bonfire (Kosteri) - a sprawling dwarf bush up to 2 m high, bright green in color.
5. Minima (Minima) - one of the smallest coniferous green shrubs, growing up to 10 cm.
6. Nana Aurea (Nana Aurea) - 2-meter bush with golden needles, which in winter acquires a bronze-gold color.
7. Tetragona Aurea (Tetragona Aurea) - a bush up to 1.2 m high in a pyramidal shape. In the sun, its needles will be golden or bronze-yellow, and in the shade yellow-blue-green. The great advantage of the variety is that it does not burn in the sun.
8. Rahashiba (Rashahiba) - a pyramidal tree 2 m high with emerald green needles.
9. Kamarachiba (Kamarachiba) - a variety with very “warm” yellow-orange needles 0.6 m high. Its crown cannot be described as correct. It is somewhat like a small mop. But this means that Kamarchib is perfect for creating topiary forms. The variety is not intended for the northern regions and can withstand only temperatures up to -20 ° C.

Landing and care

Most tree forms of cypress trees have a conical shape, so they are planted in front of the facades of buildings and as a decoration of alleys in squares and parks. Shrub forms are used more widely due to the diversity of their shapes and sizes.

But the rules for planting and caring for them will be the same. Most varieties can be grown in the 5th frost resistance zone with a minimum winter temperature of -29 ° C.Wood tolerates frost well, but when moisture crystals congeal in the soil after a thaw, they can push micro-roots out of the soil or damage them, therefore, the near-stem zone must be mulched after the temperature drops to 0 ...– 2 ° С.Cypress is an evergreen plant. Theoretically, it can be planted at any time of the year. But in the northern regions it is recommended to do this only in the spring. If the air warms above 0 ° C, the root system will begin to develop, and before the start of active growth will have time to take root well. In the southern regions, landing is possible in the fall - in September or October.

Pick a sunny area with well-drained soil. Dig it up. Determine the type of soil. Conifers slowly consume water, and if it stagnates, the roots will begin to rot, so dense soil is diluted with compost, sphagnum moss or any other organic compounds and sand in equal proportions in order to increase the nutritional value of the soil and reduce its density.

Important! In the first months after planting, it is important to prevent weeds from growing around the cypress. They will actively compete with him for moisture and nutrients, so weeds are removed after each watering.

For landing you will need:

1. Prepare a hole 2 times wider and deeper than the size of the root layer. Be sure to make it square. In a pot, the roots are wrapped in a circle and try to maintain this habit. And you need them to go deep into the soil. For this, we need angles.
2. If necessary, lay a drainage layer at the bottom of the pit. Thickness - 20 cm.
3. Sprinkle soil mixed with compost and sand on top.
4. Remove the seedling from the pot.
5. Install it in the pit.
6. Fill half the soil and water. Now add the soil mixture so that the root neck of the cypress is at the same height at which it grew in the nursery.

To reduce moisture evaporation and prevent weed growth, sprinkle the soil with mulch. As for plant care after planting, it will consist of:

• glaze;
• fertilizer application;
• trimming.

Important! Watering begins in the spring and ends in October with heavy watering. It is necessary to do so that the soil is moist, but not wet. A layer of mulch helps retain moisture. And if you can not often water the plant, then this will help him.

Be sure to shade the seedling. For an adult plant, this measure is mandatory only when indicated in the requirements for its cultivation. But in young cypress trees, the needles can burn in the sun. For the winter, young bushes must be closed. To do this, make a wooden frame and fit it with agrofibre in several layers or cover it with spruce branches.

Fertilize the plant in early spring in March. For this, special fertilizers for conifers are purchased in the store. Please note that conifers, unlike hardwood, do not need a lot of nitrogen, so you can take the mixture that contains the proportion of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium of this type: 5:10:10.

Numbers indicate the percentage of each substance in the composition. It will be good if the composition also includes potassium and magnesium. Of the special fertilizers for conifers in the store there are: “Aquarin”, “Hvoinka”, “Fertika-luxury” and others.

The cypress tree is grown in its natural form, so if it’s not about creating a bonsai, you only need to trim it at the end of winter to remove dry or damaged branches. If we are talking about topiary or other decorative forms, then their adjustment is carried out when the growth of the new season is fully completed, that is, in July and later. To do this, choose a not too hot day. And after cutting, the plant is watered abundantly.

Cypress trees will be the perfect solution for your garden. They are unpretentious, always retain a festive look, even in winter, when there is so little greenery around. They can grow as accent elements or in group plantings with a combination of plants of different shapes. When choosing a variety, consider its natural form and growth habits.