Although it is a relatively uninteresting plant, with no showy characteristics and foliage of an unremarkable greenish-blue, the Leyland cypress (X Cuprocyparis leylandii) has much to recommend it. For one thing, it forms dense branches that make it an excellent plant for privacy. For another, it grows extremely quickly, and can reach heights of a dozen feet or more in only a few years.
A hybrid needled evergreen, the Leyland cypress is winter hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 10. Its reddish brown bark and dark-brown fruiting cones mark it as a conifer, as does its distinctly pyramidal shape. The name “Leland” comes from C. J. Leland, who grew some of the first hybrids. Its branches are slightly pendulous, and weave seamlessly in interplantings to form very dense screens or hedges.
The Leyland cypress is considered a fast-growing plant, which means it can add 2 feet or more to its height in a single growing season. For the first several years of its life, in fact, it can grow at a rate of 3 to 4 feet per year, though it slows later as it matures. Its full height usually is somewhere around 30 to 50 feet, although it can reach heights of 60 to 70. It is a narrow tree, usually spreading to only 10 or 15 feet.
Leyland cypress prefers full sun and well-drained, fertile soil with a medium amount of water. Although soil should be consistently moist, once established, these plants do have a considerable drought tolerance and will grow in a range of soil types, including lean ones. The Leyland cypress produces seed that you may be able to plant and grow, but it will not necessarily be true to its parent plant in form or characteristics. It can take a severe pruning, including having its tops sheared right off.
Its dense growth makes the Leyland cypress best for screens, windbreaks or hedges at the edges of large properties. If you wish to keep it small, the Leyland cypress can be pruned when young to maintain a smaller shape, and even can be cut from the top down if it outgrows its planting area. As it will try to reach its full height, however, it is best suited to large landscapes where this is not a problem.
- Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images