Italian Cypress – Desert Horizon Nursery

Italian Cypress

Cupressus sempervirens
Categories:
Trees  ·  
Shade Trees
Light
Full sun
Water
Low to moderate water once established. Water deeply and allow soil to dry between irrigations; provide supplemental irrigation during Phoenix's prolonged summer heat. Water young trees more regularly while roots establish, keeping water away from the trunk.
Size
40-70 ft tall × 3-6 ft wide
Habit
Upright tree – single-trunk – columnar
Toxicity
Non-toxic
Description
A tall, slender Mediterranean conifer with dense, aromatic, scale-like foliage, commonly grown in its narrow columnar form for strong vertical accents.
Bloom Time
Non-flowering (grown for foliage)
Deciduous / Evergreen
Evergreen
Special Features
Drought Tolerant, Fragrant, Heat Tolerant
Growth Rate
Moderate to fast
Growth Habit
Upright tree – single-trunk – columnar
Mature Size
40-70 ft tall × 3-6 ft wide
Flower Color
None (grown for foliage)
Foliage Color
Dark green
Landscape Use
Hedge / Screen, Specimen / Accent
Garden Style
Hedge / Formal
Soil
Alkaline Tolerant, Sandy / Rocky, Well-Drained
Companion Plants
Autumn sage, Desert marigold, Red yucca, Rosemary, Texas sage
Non-toxic
Non-toxic
Care Instructions

Light: Full sun; at least 6–8 hours of direct sunlight daily.

Water: Low to moderate water once established. Water deeply and allow soil to dry between irrigations; provide supplemental irrigation during Phoenix’s prolonged summer heat. Water young trees more regularly while roots establish, keeping water away from the trunk.

Soil: Well-drained sandy, gravelly, or loamy soil; tolerates alkaline soil. Avoid waterlogged sites and improve drainage in compacted clay or caliche soils.

Mature size: Typically 40–60 feet tall and 4–8 feet wide for common columnar forms; dimensions vary by cultivar, and noncolumnar forms grow much wider.

Bloom: No true flowers; produces small pollen cones in late winter to spring and woody seed cones that mature over approximately two years.

Evergreen / deciduous: Evergreen.

Growth rate: Moderate to fast, often 1–3 feet per year with adequate irrigation and favorable growing conditions.