Hinoki Falsecypress

Hinoki cypress is the Japanese conifer that defines refinement in the evergreen garden. The foliage is the tell: flattened sprays of scale-like leaves arranged in fan-shaped patterns, dark green on top with bright white markings underneath, producing a texture so fine and layered that the tree looks like it was designed for a miniature garden even at full size. The species can reach seventy feet in the wild, but the fourteen cultivars in the regional trade range from true dwarfs at two feet to moderate trees at twenty. 'Nana Gracilis' is the classic slow-growing dwarf. 'Fernspray Gold' delivers gold-tipped, fern-like foliage. 'Confucius' stays compact with gold-green color. 'Elf' and 'Compacta' are miniatures for troughs and rock gardens.

In Western Washington, hinoki cypress thrives in our maritime climate, it is, after all, native to the same kind of humid, temperate conditions in Japan. It takes full sun to part shade and wants consistent moisture without waterlogged soil. Three diseases are tracked, including Phytophthora root rot in poorly drained sites, but established specimens in good soil are essentially trouble-free. The reddish-brown bark is soft and stringy, adding winter texture when you get close enough to appreciate it. The most important siting decision is matching cultivar to space. A 'Nana Gracilis' that will reach eight feet in twenty years and a full-sized species form that will eventually top fifty feet are radically different plants wearing the same botanical name. Know the mature size of your cultivar before you plant it.