Gardening Trees, Shrubs & Vines Trees False Cypress By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on May 27, 2019 Share Tweet Pin Email Incomparable texture and color intensity make false cypress a valuable companion in mixed borders and perennial beds, as well as an attractive hedge or screen. The fanlike boughs hold long, soft needles that resemble filigreed lace or ferns. The upswept branches of Hinoki cypress look like a Japanese painting, while the Nootka false cypress features pendulous branches. Color range of the false cypress extends from blue-gray to deep green to gold. A moist, slightly acidic soil is ideal for these trees; they do not thrive in hot and dry or windy conditions. False Cypress Overview Genus Name Chamaecyparis Common Name False Cypress Plant Type Tree Light Part Sun, Sun Height 20 to 20 feet Width 15 to 30 feet Season Features Winter Interest Special Features Attracts Birds, Fragrance, Good for Containers Zones 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Propagation Stem Cuttings Problem Solvers Good For Privacy, Groundcover Varieties of False Cypress 'Baby Blue' False Cypress Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Baby Blue' is a compact selection that forms a dense shrub of silvery-blue foliage. It grows 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Plant in zones 4-8. 'Cripsii' Hinoki False Cypress Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Crippsi' features golden foliage that deepens to dark green. It grows 50 feet tall and 25 feet wide. Plant in zones 4-8. Golden Threadleaf Cypress Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera' offers chartreuse, lacy, evergreen foliage and grows 40 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Plant in zones 4-8. Hinoki False Cypress Chamaecyparis obtusa bears upward-tilting branches, craggy, peeling bark, and fine-textured evergreen foliage. It grows 70 feet tall and 20 feet wide. Plant in zones 4-8. 'Sungold' False Cypress Chamaecyparis psifera 'Sungold' is a dense evergreen shrub with threadlike golden foliage on weeping branches. It grows 8 feet tall and 12 feet wide. Plant in zones 4-8 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit