Chamaecyparis thyoides Andelyensis

The Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Andelyensis' is a variety of Atlantic White Cedar with slow growth and small size, well suited for small spaces. It is a small conifer that particularly enjoys wet and sandy, non-chalky soils, near the sea. When planted as a single specimen, it will form a fairly wide cone, with multiple leading shoots, of a dark blue-green colour, which will take on more or less bronze to violet reflections in winter. This variety produces many bluish cones from a young age.

The Chamaecyparis thyoides is a very hardy species native to the eastern North America, specifically from the Maine Coast to Florida. It belongs to the Cupressaceae family and is also known as the Atlantic White Cypress. In its natural environment, this tree can reach a height of 18 m and has a narrow conical habit. It has given rise to many cultivars, with very variable habits and foliage.

The 'Andelyensis' cultivar forms a plant measuring up to 1 m in height and 30 cm in width after 10 years. Potentially, it will eventually reach a height of 1.60 m to 1.80 m with a base spread of 90 cm to 1 m, after many years of cultivation. This small conifer retains its juvenile foliage in the form of very short thorns, dark green with blue-green reflections, without developing the scaly leaves of the type. Its foliage is very dense. It develops several main branches of unequal sizes. The foliage exposed to frost will take on bronze or violet reflections. This variety produces fruits called cones. When immature, they are a soft blue-gray, somewhat glaucous. They become dark brown as they ripen.

The Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Andelyensis' is a small, hardy and elegant conifer that can be adopted in a small garden, always in light and moist soil, not under intense sunlight. It can also be grown in a container on the terrace. Place it in the centre of a small bed or combine it with other dwarf conifers of different colours and shapes: for example the Canadian Arborvitae 'Danica' which forms a ball of grass green, the Oriental Thuja 'Aurea Nana' in a cone shape, golden, or the Juniperus squamata 'Blue Carpet', a beautiful silvery blue carpet. The architectural qualities of dwarf conifers naturally stand out in the design of a contemporary garden. These plants structurally define a bed for a long time, mark pathways, and border the terrace. They can be combined with ground cover plants like rock cress, silver baskets (Cerastium), as well as flowering shrubs. The key is to play with volumes and colours.