Сypress sawara

Сypress sawara / Chamaecyparis pisifera

A coniferous tree from the Cypress family is attractive to gardeners for its unpretentiousness and decorative effect. The crown of the plant in the shape of a regular cone lends itself well to shearing, allowing you to create interesting architectural forms. Often used to create bonsai.

In nature, the plant can reach several tens of meters in height (up to 40), forming a slender cone-shaped tree. In the harsh climate of our country, wild forms of cypress grow much lower. Cultivars have a height of 50 cm to 3–4 m. The color of the smooth bark of an adult tree is reddish.

The branches of the cypress pea grow from the trunk parallel to the soil, lowering the tips down. They are flat in shape, covered with scaly needles. The color of the needles in the natural form is dark green, in artificially obtained varieties it can be blue, light green, golden.

The plant is dioecious. Numerous cones ripen on female specimens. They are round, up to 8 mm in diameter, similar to peas (hence the name "pea-bearing"). Fruit color is brown. The seed has two wings and is easily dispersed by the wind.

The conifer propagates by seeds. Cultivars are still cuttings by grafting.

Pea-bearing cypress is represented in cultural horticulture by several varieties. They differ in size, color of needles. Dwarf varieties are suitable for indoor growing. Pea cypress will become a very desirable exotic in the decorative landscape of any garden, recreation area, hedge.

Pea cypress, like other species, prefers well-drained, breathable, moist and nutritious, slightly acidic light loams or sandy loams. It does not tolerate stagnant water, which can rot the roots, which leads to the death of the plant. To avoid this, it is better to plant cypress on a hill. Cypress trees are sensitive to dry soil and air; in hot summers, they should be watered at least once a week and, if possible, sprinkled. This reduces the likelihood of damage to cypress spider mites.

For coniferous plants, the mycorrhiza formed with soil fungi is vital, therefore, when planting a cypress seedling in a planting hole at least 0.5 m deep, first fill in a drainage layer of sand, finely broken bricks. Then mix peat, sand and forest floor (with rotted leaves, needles, rotten wood, moss) in a ratio of 1:2:1.