Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Alumii - Lawson Cypress

The Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Alumii' is a famous variety of Lawson's cypress highly appreciated for its beautiful, dense, flexible and regular pyramidal habit, its slightly trailing branch tips, and its elegant blue-grey foliage. Decorative all year round and with moderate growth, this elegant evergreen would work as a specimen. Its tolerance for light and repeated pruning and its excellent screening power also make it an excellent hedge tree. While not difficult to grow, this false cypress appreciates sun, and moist, fertile, deep, but well-drained soils.

The Lawson's cypress, sometimes called false cypress, is a majestic conifer of the cypress family native to the moist coastal forests of the northwest United States. In its natural environment, it often reaches over 30m (98ft 5in) in height, with a trunk approaching 1.2m (3ft 11in) in diameter. Its habit is straight and conical, and its trailing branches form soft curtains adorned with fairly dark green, bluish foliage. It has given rise to numerous cultivars among which there is a wide choice of smaller stature plants, better suited to the size of our gardens.

The 'Alumii' variety is a very beautiful form of this species that will not exceed 10-11m (33-36ft) in height with a spread of 3m (10ft). In its early years, it shows a very narrow columnar habit, then widens slightly to form a beautiful pyramid. Its branches are erect and emerge from the base of the trunk. Its slender and flattened branches are flexible, slightly trailing at their tips and densely covered with scale-like leaves which are initially light blue, taking on more greyish highlights and a glaucous hue over time.

The Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Alumii' can be used as a hedge, in isolation, or planted in groups in a medium to large-sized garden. It does not require pruning, but it can tolerate light pruning. With a real presence and strong personality, it is quite difficult to associate with other large shrubs but plays its role perfectly as a backdrop to shrub or perennial borders. The architectural qualities of conifers deserve to be invited more often into our gardens, where they provide a permanent structure. These plants take a back seat in summer and make a comeback in winter when flowers have abandoned our gardens.