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Chamaecyparis obtusa Kamarachiba - Hinoki Cypress

Chamaecyparis obtusa Kamarachiba
Hinoki Cypress, Japanese Cypress, Hinoki False Cypress

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marc D., 22/12/2016

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Chamaecyparis obtusa Kamarachiba - Hinoki Cypress 2L/3L pot sample as delivered in autumn

2L/3L pot (Shipped height around 15/20cm)

15,90 €

Sku: 631002

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This plant carries a 24 months recovery warranty

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Dwarf variety of hinoki cypress, with a slightly loose rounded habit and slightly spreading. Its flat branches with a feathery appearance gracefully droop, in a charmingly calculated disorder. It displays lemon yellow foliage marked with very bright cream, which turns coppery bronze in the winter. Growing slowly, it will reach a height of 90 cm (35.4 in) in 10 years. This slightly unkempt and very colourful conifer will bring life to small spaces, flower beds, or rock gardens throughout the year. It adapts remarkably well to container cultivation. It prefers a sunny or semi-shady exposure, fertile soil, moist but well-drained and not too chalky.

Height at maturity

1.25 m

Spread at maturity

1.50 m

Exposure

Sun, Partial shade

Hardiness

Hardy down to -23.5°C

Soil moisture

Moist soil

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Best planting time February to March, September to October

Recommended planting time February to June, September to November

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Description

Kamarachiba Chamaecyparis obtusa is a dwarf variety of hinoki cypress, with a rounded to oval habit, slightly loose and spreading. Its flat branches have a feathery appearance and gracefully droop, creating a charmingly calculated disorder. It displays a bright yellow foliage marked with cream, which turns coppery bronze in the winter. It is slow-growing and will reach a height of 90 cm (35.4 in) in 10 years. This slightly unkempt and highly colourful conifer will bring life to small spaces, flower beds, or rock gardens throughout the year. It adapts remarkably well to container cultivation. Easy to grow, it prefers a sunny or partially shaded exposure, and fertile soil that is moist but well-drained, and not too chalky.

Also known as hinoki cypress, belonging to the Cupressaceae family, and capable of reaching a height of 50 m (164 ft) in its natural environment, the false cypress is primarily used for making lacquered furniture and constructing numerous buildings such as palaces, in its country of origin. The dwarf variety, 'Kamarachiba', presents a beautiful bushy clump with a rather oval and flexible habit, wider than it is tall. It grows slowly. After ten years of cultivation, it will reach a height of 90 cm (35.4 in) to 1 m (3 ft 4 in), with a diameter of 1.20 m (3 ft 11 in). An adult specimen will measure 1.50 m (4 ft 11 in) in height, after many years of cultivation. It bears lemon-yellow to pale yellow foliage, covering supple and pinnate branches that give the overall appearance of a fern.

The Kamarachiba Chamaecyparis obtusa is a whimsical and cheerful conifer. It is ideal for container cultivation on a terrace or in small gardens due to its slow growth and small size. With its soft and natural shape it will work well in your rock gardens, alongside darker varieties. The architectural qualities of dwarf conifers naturally stand out in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of forms, silhouettes, and textures over flowers. These plants structurally enhance a flower bed, mark pathways and border the terrace, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood. They provide a setting for small roses, peonies, or tousled grasses with highly complementary forms. They can also be associated with shrubs or ground cover plants such as aubrietas and cerastiums, as well as flowering shrubs. The key is to play with volumes and colours.

Tips: Water during periods of high heat as it is sensitive to drought.

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Chamaecyparis, False cypress: planting, pruning and caring for

Family sheet

Modified the 10 August 2025 by Eva 12 min.

Chamaecyparis, False cypress: planting, pruning and caring for

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Chamaecyparis are among those conifers with dense, scaly foliage appreciated for the making of hedges, notably the Chamaecyparis lawsoniana species, surprisingly used in its typical form. It is nevertheless one of the conifers that has produced the greatest number of cultivars (over 200!) such as Alumii with very compact, bluish foliage and a conical form of 3 to 4.50 m or Ellwoodii, much used in hedges. The wild form, capable in cultivation of reaching 36 m in height with a trunk of 1.20 m diameter, comes from the north‑west United States, like the giant Thuja. Its branchlets, tinged dark green or bluish green, with slightly trailing tips, give it a remarkable, somewhat phantasmagorical undulating appearance while its variety Aurea Densa forms a spectacularly compact golden column. Sawara cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera) and Japanese Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) also offer a range of dwarf or moderately vigorous cultivars, with filamentous or, conversely, blunt branchlets, with a fern‑like habit (<a href="https://en.promessedefleurs.eu/shrubs/conifers/conifers-by-variety/chamaecyparis/chamaecyparis-obtusa-teddy-bear-hinoki-cypress.html">C. obtusa Teddy Bear</a>), acidular in <a href="https://en.promessedefleurs.eu/shrubs/conifers/conifers-by-variety/chamaecyparis/chamaecyparis-obtusa-wissel-hinoki-cypress.html">obtusa Wissel</a> in very attractive golden, bluish or intense green colours. The word 'Chamaecyparis' is derived from Greek and means 'cypress‑shaped', given the strong resemblance of its conical habit and its aromatic foliage made of small imbricate scales. However, Cupressus occupy dry, sunny southern areas while Chamaecyparis grow in sheltered, moist, often coastal areas. Chamaecyparis are not demanding about the nature of the soil, provided it is fresh, well‑drained and not excessively calcareous. The species lawsoniana shows a strong susceptibility to the Phytophthora fungus that decimates its wild population in the United States as well as in gardens where the disease is often spread by nurseries. And although they prefer fertile, deep humus, they adapt to less favoured ground, with moderate growth and reduced luxuriance. Avoid pruning them as much as possible.

Chamaecyparis obtusa Kamarachiba - Hinoki Cypress in pictures

Foliage

Plant habit

Height at maturity 1.25 m

Spread at maturity 1.50 m

Habit irregular, bushy

Growth rate slow

Foliage

Foliage persistence Evergreen

Foliage colour golden

Botanical data

Genus

Chamaecyparis

Species

obtusa

Cultivar

Kamarachiba

Family

Cupressaceae

Other common names

Hinoki Cypress, Japanese Cypress, Hinoki False Cypress

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference • 6310021

Planting and care

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Kamarachiba' is best planted from September to November and from February to June in rich and moist, well-drained soil, neutral or slightly acidic. Choose a sunny or semi-shaded location sheltered from prevailing winds. Soak the root ball well before planting. Add organic fertilizer at planting and water generously in the first few years. Apply a special conifer fertilizer every year in April and weed the soil in summer. It does not require pruning. While the tender shoots of young plants can be regularly pruned to form a hedge for example, care must be taken never to prune into old wood present on mature plants as no new shoots will regrow there.

Planting period

Best planting time February to March, September to October

Recommended planting time February to June, September to November

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Rockery, Woodland edge

Type of use Border, Back of border, Free-standing, Container, Hedge, Slope

Hardiness Hardy down to -23.5°C (USDA zone 6a) Show map

Ease of cultivation Amateur

Exposure Sun, Partial shade

Soil pH Acidic, Neutral

Soil type Silty-loamy (rich and light), Stony (poor and well-drained)

Soil moisture Moist soil, well-drained, humus-bearing, fertile