
False Cypress
Uses:
- Specimen Plants
- Hedges
- Vertical Lines to Landscaping
Features:
- Year Round Interest
- Unique Soft Texture
- Mop-like Mounding Habit
Sunlight:
- Partial Sun to Full Sun
- 5+ Hours of Direct Sun
Growing Zones:
- 4-8
- What is My Zone?
False Cypress (Chamaecyparis) are evergreen conifers used as ornamental shrubs, privacy and specimen plants. The bushes have soft foliage and provide year round interest in the garden.
Why Buy False Cypress Online
False cypress is a stunning conifer with dense foliage in blue, green, or golden hues. We offer several varieties with different shapes, sizes, and colors, which may be difficult to obtain locally. This shrub's fern-like foliage is soft to the touch and evergreen for year-round color and texture. It is easy to care for, deer resistant, and compact in size. False cypress blends in well with all landscaping and adds a pop of color during the winter months.

Use in containers, borders, or as focal points

Taller varieties used as a windbreak or for privacy

Year round interest

Available in shades of green and gold

Growing zones 4 to 8
About False Cypress

Sawara Cypress, Japanese False Cypress
Japan, Taiwan, North America (depending on species)
Bushes
Evergreen
4 to 8
Insignificant (False Cypress is valued for its foliage rather than flowers)
Non-showy; primarily foliage interest year-round
Pyramidal, conical, or weeping, depending on the cultivar
Birds (for shelter), but generally not a major attractor for pollinators
Partial shade, drought (once established), urban pollution
Deer, pests, and diseases (relatively resistant)
How To Use False Cypress In The Garden
False cypress (Chamaecyparis species) comes in diverse forms and foliage colors, ranging from deep greens to silvery blues and golden yellows. They are also available in a variety of sizes, from dwarf varieties suitable for containers to towering trees reaching up to 230 feet in their native habitats. There is a variety of false cypress for any application, giving landscapes year-round interest and structure.
In garden design, larger varieties of false cypress can be used as privacy screens or focal points. Dwarf cultivars are ideal for container planting, adding texture and color to patios and small spaces. Their evergreen foliage offers continuous visual appeal, and their tolerance for pruning allows gardeners to shape them into hedges or topiaries, although these conifers have a naturally compact and pleasing form.
False Cypress Care
False cypress thrives in full sun and moist, well-drained soil with a pH between 6 and 7. During the initial growing seasons, water deeply once or twice per week, increasing frequency during heat spells. Applying a slow-release fertilizer formulated for woody plants in early spring promotes healthy growth. Mulching helps retain moisture and regulate soil temperature.
Prune false cypress when young to shape hedges, avoiding cuts into old wood, as new growth does not emerge from these areas. Before winter, apply a light mulch layer and water deeply to protect roots from freezing temperatures. Remove diseased or broken branches in midwinter to maintain plant health. Dwarf cultivars are suitable for container growth; use appropriately sized pots with drainage and high-quality potting soil.
Learn More About False Cypress

False Cypress Companion Plants
Companion choices should enjoy six‑plus hours of sun, and slightly acidic, well‑drained soil that stays evenly moist through summer heat. Weigela delivers a months‑long flush of pink trumpets and thrives in that same moisture profile, while oakleaf hydrangea echoes the cypress’s acid preference and supplies bold summer cones and fiery autumn foliage for seamless seasonal hand‑offs. Coneflower slides into the mid‑border with drought‑tolerant poise once settled and draws pollinators to the planting, whereas sun‑loving coleus injects foliage contrast all season without challenging the shrub’s root space.