Tree · Cupressaceae
Sawara False Cypress
Chamaecyparis pisifera
Give it full sun and free-draining soil and this forgiving conifer will reward you with steady color all year.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 4–8
20–30 ft · 6.1–9.1 m
Overview
Sawara false cypress is one of the more forgiving conifers you can plant, a hardy evergreen from Japan grown for its soft, feathery foliage rather than any bloom. It sits in the cypress family and shrugs off cold all the way down to -29°F (-34°C), so it feels right at home in northern gardens across USDA zones 4 to 8. The wild species grows into a tall tree given time, but most gardeners reach for the smaller named forms, which are easier to place and just as rewarding.
The named cultivars are where the fun begins. Some stay as low golden mounds, others lift into soft blue-green columns, and the threadleaf types drape in weeping strands of yellow. With that much variety you can use it as a steady foundation shrub, a standout specimen, or a warm spot of winter color when the rest of the garden has nodded off, and there's a form to suit almost any corner.
Best of all, it asks very little once it has settled in, so you don't need a green thumb to keep it happy. Give it sun, soil that drains, and a bit of shelter from harsh drying wind, and it holds its year-round color with almost no fuss. The one thing to keep in mind is pruning, since this conifer will not regrow from bare wood, but that is easy to get right once you know.
Care
The short version: full sun to part shade, soil that stays moist yet drains so it never sits soggy, light pruning kept gently to green growth, and one balanced evergreen feed in spring is all this easygoing conifer asks.
Light
False cypress shows its best color in full sun, where the gold and blue forms keep their warmest tones for you. It will happily take partial shade too, though in too little light the foliage thins out and those lovely colors go quiet.
Water
Aim to keep the soil moist but never waterlogged, watering deeply while the plant settles in and again through any dry spell. Once it's established it copes with a fair bit of drought, so don't fret over the odd dry week, but it still wants sharp drainage, since standing water is what invites root rot.
Soil
Plant it in moist, fertile, well-drained ground and it will reward you. It isn't picky about chemistry and is happy anywhere from acidic to slightly alkaline, roughly a pH of 5.0 to 7.5, as long as the water has somewhere to go.
Temperature
This is a tough, cold-hardy conifer that stays comfortable from about -29°F to 86°F (-34°C to 30°C), so northern winters hold no fear for it. The only thing to watch is biting, dry wind, which can scorch the exposed side, and a sheltered spot soon settles that.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity suits it just fine, so there's no number to chase and nothing to measure. What really helps is good air movement, since crowded, still, damp foliage is where blight and mites like to start.
Feeding
A light feed in spring with a balanced slow-release fertilizer made for evergreens is all it needs. One seasonal feeding does the job nicely, because this is a slow, steady grower that's happiest when you don't push it.
Pruning
Keep your pruning light and shape the plant only while green growth is there to cut into. The golden rule, and an easy one to follow, is to never cut into bare brown wood, which has no dormant buds and won't fill back in. Tidying away dead interior branches as the plant ages keeps it looking fresh.
Repotting
Container and dwarf forms appreciate a fresh, slightly larger pot every 2 to 3 years. When roots start circling, water races straight through, or growth has clearly stalled, the plant is gently telling you it's ready to move up a size.
Size & spacing
How big it gets depends entirely on the form you choose, so there's no need to guess. The wild species can reach 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 m) tall and spread anywhere from 3 to 20 feet (90 cm to 6 m), so peek at the label and give each plant the room its variety asks for.
When to plant
False cypress is a hardy conifer that goes straight into the ground rather than a seed tray, so there's no fussing with trays indoors. Plant it in spring or early fall while the soil is warm and moisture is steady, which gives the roots a calm chance to settle before summer heat or hard winter cold arrives. There's no bloom or harvest to count down to, since it earns its keep with year-round foliage.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: spring or early fall
- Harvest: non-flowering; grown for evergreen foliage
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–8
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Most false cypress troubles come down to wet feet, dry wind, or one unlucky pruning cut, and the good news is that none of them need to spell the end. Catch the early hints on the tips, in the foliage, or down in soggy soil, and you'll have plenty of time to step in before a branch is lost. Find what matches what you're seeing below, then act while it still does some good.
Foliage slowly thinning over wet, soggy soil
When a plant thins out and fades in soggy ground, the trouble is almost always root rot, often Phytophthora, and the kindest thing is to read the signs early. Gently dig at the base and you will feel dark, mushy roots instead of firm white ones. A badly rotted plant cannot be saved, so ease your watering, fix the drainage, and replant only where water drains away freely, and the next one will have every chance.
Fix:
- Improve drainage immediately and stop overwatering
- Remove severely affected plants
- Replant only in well-drained soil
Shoot tips browning and fading back
Take heart if the tips go brown, because the usual culprit is tip blight, a fungus that settles into young or stressed growth during wet weather, and it is something you can manage. Drying winter wind can leave a similar scorch on the sunny side, so do not assume the worst. Snip the troubled twigs well below the damage, wipe your tools between cuts, and open up some airflow with a little shelter from the wind, and the plant should bounce back.
Fix:
- Prune out and destroy blighted twigs well below symptoms, disinfecting tools between cuts
- Improve air circulation and avoid overhead watering
- Shelter plants from harsh drying winter wind
Bronzed, speckled foliage veiled in fine webbing
Do not panic at fine webbing and a dull, stippled look, since these are the calling card of spider mites, which love a dusty, stressed plant and are easy enough to wash off. Hold a sheet of white paper under a branch and give it a tap, and you should see them moving. A different pest, the bagworm, hangs little spindle-shaped bags from the foliage. Rinse the mites away, pluck the bags off by hand, and treat young bagworms with Bt as the crawlers show up in early summer, and you will be back in good shape.
Fix:
- Hose down foliage to dislodge mites
- Hand-pick and destroy bagworm bags
- Treat young bagworms with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) when crawlers are active in early summer
Bare inner wood that won't leaf out again
Here is the one to remember so you never feel caught out: cut a false cypress back into the bare brown wood at its heart and that spot will stay bare, because the old wood holds no dormant buds to send out fresh shoots. A little interior browning is simply age at work, as shaded lower branches quietly fade over the years. Keep your cuts in the green, foliage-bearing growth, tidy away dead interior wood for looks, and forgive the gap that will not fill, since the rest of the plant is doing just fine.
Fix:
- Prune only into green foliage-bearing growth
- Remove dead interior wood for appearance, accepting it will not refill
Toxicity
Here's a relief for anyone with pets: false cypress is not considered toxic. It doesn't turn up on the ASPCA poison lists, and it's regarded as safe around cats and dogs. Like any plant, one that gets eaten in large amounts might leave a pet briefly queasy, but there's no real poison to lose sleep over here.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
You can relax with cats nearby, because false cypress isn't on the ASPCA toxic list. If a curious cat nibbles a good amount of foliage it might feel a little off for a while, much like it would with many garden plants, and then settle right back down.
Dogs None
Dogs have nothing to fear here. There's nothing toxic in the foliage, so the worst a big, greedy mouthful might do is leave a playful pup briefly queasy before it passes.
Horses Safe
You can keep it near horses with an easy mind, since no toxic compounds have been reported in the foliage.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits are welcome to graze close by without coming to harm. This isn't a known poison, so a stray bite simply won't hurt them.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can wander past without worry, as this gentle conifer carries no toxins of note.
Birds Safe
Garden and wild birds are perfectly at ease around it, and the thick evergreen cover gives them welcome shelter rather than any danger.
People Safe
There's nothing toxic in it for people, though the foliage isn't meant for eating and the clippings can feel a touch resinous on your hands, so a quick wash after trimming is all you need.
An outdoor landscape conifer; foliage may cause mild stomach upset if large amounts are chewed, as with many plants, but it is not considered toxic.
Varieties
Hardly anyone plants the full-size wild species, and you needn't either. These are the named forms and close relatives you'll actually find waiting at the nursery.
'Gold Mop' / 'Golden Mop'
A much-loved dwarf threadleaf with stringy, mop-like foliage in a cheerful golden-yellow, content to hold around 2 to 3 feet (60 to 90 cm) tall and wide at 10 years before easing up toward about 5 feet (150 cm).
'Boulevard'
A soft, feathery moss form dressed in blue-green to silvery juvenile foliage, growing to roughly 5 to 6 feet (150 to 180 cm) in 10 years and settling near 12 feet (3.7 m) at maturity.
'Filifera Aurea'
A golden threadleaf with gently weeping branches of thread-like yellow foliage, reaching 6 to 7 feet (180 to 215 cm) in 20 years and in time around 20 feet (6 m).
Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa)
A separate but friendly relative you can tell apart by its flatter, fan-like sprays of fragrant scale foliage instead of the Sawara's threadlike look.
Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides)
A North American cousin happiest in wet, boggy ground, and quite distinct from the Japanese Sawara false cypress.
How to propagate
How you make more false cypress depends on what you're after, and either path is approachable. Cuttings copy a treasured gold or blue form exactly, while seed gives you the plain species and a cheerful grab bag of seedlings.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Mid to late fall · Several weeks to months to root
Cuttings are the dependable way to copy the named gold and blue forms, which won't come true from seed, so it's the route to take if you love a particular plant. Take them in mid to late fall, then settle in for the wait, since they can need several weeks to months to put out roots. A little patience here is rewarded.
SeedModerate
After cone ripening · Slow; seedlings variable
If you'd like to try the straight species, sow seed after the cones ripen and enjoy the slow, surprising results. The seedlings differ from one another and won't carry a named cultivar's traits, so think of it as a gentle experiment rather than a sure copy.
Myths
Shearing false cypress hard like a hedge is fine because it fills back in from the bare wood.
It's an easy mistake to make, but like most needled evergreens, false cypress keeps no dormant buds on its old brown wood. Cut into that bare interior and the gap simply stays open. The happy fix is gentle: prune only into green growth and shape the plant a little at a time.
False cypress will poison a cat or dog that chews it.
You can set this worry aside, since Chamaecyparis doesn't appear on ASPCA toxic-plant lists. It is regarded as non-toxic to cats and dogs, and at most a pet that chews a lot of any plant may feel a mild, passing stomach upset.