North America is considered the birthplace of evergreen coniferous plants of the genus cypress, they are also found in East Asia. They are distinguished by a high crown in the form of a cone and drooping branches, which are covered with brown bark, cracking into separate strips.
The genus includes 7 species, the most common of them in culture is the variety "Pea-bearing cypress". All varietal plants of this genus are extremely decorative, have a beautiful appearance, different sizes and color of needles. They have taken root well in Europe, but in the Russian expanses, where the climate is more severe, this is still problematic.
Pea cypress
This is a widespread plant in the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, growing in coniferous broadleaf forests. In mountainous areas it is found up to 500 meters above sea level. It grows well in moist soils, but does not take root well in calcareous ones. It is a tree of great height with a cone-shaped crown, in which the outstretched branches are placed horizontally. The smooth bark hasreddish brown. In its natural habitat, it propagates by seeds. Poorly tolerates insufficient air humidity.
Reverence and use
In Japan, pea cypress is one of the most revered plants. It is often planted near temples, next to Buddhist monasteries and around dwellings. It is used not only in group plantings, but also in single ones. A huge variety of forms, a fairly high resistance of some of them to frost and low humidity made it possible to significantly expand the boundaries of cultivation. The abundance of decorative forms contributed to the fact that pea cypress began to be used much more often. In Japan, they managed to bring out more than a hundred varieties of this tree. Most of them have good decorative data. Almost two dozen promising varieties of this wonderful plant have been successfully tested in central Russia. Many of them have shown themselves from the best side, demonstrating absolute reliability in our difficult climatic conditions.
Pea cypress "boulevard"
This variety has such excellent decorative qualities that they try to breed it, despite some unreliability. Although his life span does not exceed ten years, with proper care, he can please the gardener twice as much. And since the "boulevard" is perfectly cut, during this time you can have time to grow many new seedlings. ForThis variety is characterized by a dense crown of a blunt-conical shape. The average tree height is about 1 meter, as if it was specially created for small gardens. His merits:
- the most requested size is midi;
- soft silver-blue needles;
- nice looking dense crown;
- growing steadily on slopes.
Lawson's cypress
Grows in California and Oregon. A large tree up to 60 meters in height and up to one and a half meters in diameter. It has a slender trunk and a cone-shaped crown. The wood has a pleasant smell and a reddish color. Needle-shaped needles and light brown spherical cones. Has the following benefits:
- shade-tolerant;
- moisture-loving;
- unpretentious to the soil;
- windproof;
- can withstand up to 20 degrees below zero.
