Cupressus sempervirens
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.