Cryptomeria japonica Compressa

Cryptomeria japonica Compressa is a true dwarf form of the Japanese Cedar. Growing very slowly, this small conifer forms a very dense and perfectly regular ball, and is adorned with dark green needle-like foliage that takes on beautiful bronze tones in the cold. Low maintenance and hardy, it allows for unexpected combinations in rockeries and alpine gardens. It grows in full sun, in a well-drained ordinary soil that is not too dry to moist.

Cryptomeria japonica is a very large conifer of the Taxodiaceae family native to Japan. In its country of origin, this tree is commonly planted around religious temples. It is a species from a light and mild oceanic climate that is humid all year round and mild in winter. In Asia, this forest tree of sequoia-like appearance can reach up to 60 m (196 ft 11 in) in height, with a trunk of 4 m (13 ft 1 in) in diameter covered with a red-brown bark that peels off in vertical strips. In northern latitudes, it still reaches 30 to 40 m (98 ft 5 in to 131 ft 2 in) in height. The evergreen foliage of this conifer is composed of spirally arranged needles around the branchlets. The Japanese Cedar has given rise to numerous cultivars selected for their small size, the appearance of their foliage, their cold resistance, and their better tolerance to our soils and average climates.

The 'Compressa' variety, as its name suggests, resembles a highly compressed cryptomeria. Growing very slowly, it will reach 40 cm (15.7 in) in all directions at the age of 5 years and hardly more than a few metres after many years. Its habit is remarkably globose, composed of dense vegetation. Its foliage is also very dense and particularly fine, covering numerous regular branchlets adorned with rosettes of dark green needles at their tips. It turns bronze, brown, red, and copper tones in autumn and winter. This variety is hardy down to -20 °C (-4 °F).

Cryptomeria japonica Compressa deserves to be better known and planted in gardens, even the smallest ones. With its ease of cultivation, its personality, and its very compact growth, it is a perfect plant for rockeries, flower beds, and terraces. This plant goes well with large stones, geometric lines, and masonry structures. It can be associated with other shrubs for rockeries (Abelia prostrata, Berberis darwinii or thunbergii atropurpurea Nana, heathers), dwarf conifers with prostrate, globose, or columnar habit, of different colours. The graphic qualities of conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of forms, silhouettes, and textures over the dance of blooms. These plants with reassuring permanence durably structure a flower bed, mark the paths and border the terrace, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood or holly. The key is to play with volumes and colours.