Other Names:  Hesperocyparis, syn. C. macrocarpa Goldcrest

Description:

A pyramidal and upright accent tree, featuring attractive, lemon-scented yellow to chartreuse foliage; use as a solitary accent in the yard or a large garden; vigorous, and appears to tolerate inland heat; very hard to miss all season long

Ornamental Features

Lemon Yellow Cypress is primarily valued in the landscape for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has attractive lemon yellow-variegated gold foliage with hints of chartreuse which emerges lemon yellow in spring. The scale-like sprays of foliage are highly ornamental and remain gold throughout the winter.

Landscape Attributes

Lemon Yellow Cypress is a dense evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. 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.

Lemon Yellow Cypress is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent

Planting & Growing

Lemon Yellow Cypress will grow to be about 30 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live to a ripe old age of 100 years or more; think of this as a heritage tree for future generations!

This tree does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.