Tree · Cupressaceae
Sawara False Cypress
Chamaecyparis pisifera
Give it full sun and free-draining soil, and false cypress holds its color through every season.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 4–8
20–30 ft · 6.1–9.1 m
Overview
Sawara false cypress is a hardy evergreen conifer from Japan, grown for its soft, feathery foliage rather than any flower. It belongs to the cypress family and shrugs off cold down to -29°F (-34°C), which makes it a fixture in northern gardens across USDA zones 4 to 8. Left alone, the species climbs to a tall tree, but most gardeners plant the smaller named forms.
The named cultivars are where this plant earns its keep. Some stay as low golden mounds, others rise into soft blue-green columns, and the threadleaf types spill in weeping strands of yellow. That range lets it work as a foundation shrub, a specimen, or a splash of winter color when the rest of the garden has gone bare.
It asks for little once settled. Give it sun, soil that drains, and shelter from the worst drying wind, and it holds its year-round color with almost no fuss. The one rule that trips people up is pruning, since this is a conifer that will not regrow from bare wood.
Care
The short version: full sun to part shade, planted in moist but well-drained soil that never stays soggy, with light pruning kept strictly to green growth and a balanced evergreen feed in spring.
Light
False cypress colors up best in full sun, where the gold and blue forms hold their brightest tones. It takes partial shade as well, though too little light thins the foliage and dulls those colors.
Water
Keep the soil moist but never waterlogged, watering deeply while the plant settles in and through any dry spell. Once established it stands a fair amount of drought, but it still needs sharp drainage, since standing water is what brings on root rot.
Soil
Plant it in moist, fertile, well-drained ground. It isn't fussy about chemistry and handles anything from acidic to slightly alkaline, roughly a pH of 5.0 to 7.5, as long as water drains away freely.
Temperature
This is a tough, cold-hardy conifer, comfortable from about -29°F to 86°F (-34°C to 30°C). It rides out hard northern winters, though biting, dry wind can scorch the exposed side.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity suits it, so there's no number to chase. What matters far more is air movement, since crowded, still, damp foliage is where blight and mites get started.
Feeding
Feed lightly in spring with a balanced slow-release fertilizer made for evergreens. One seasonal feeding is plenty, since this is a slow, steady grower that doesn't want to be pushed.
Pruning
Keep pruning light and shape it only while green growth remains. The hard rule is to never cut into bare brown wood, which has no dormant buds and will not refill. Clearing dead interior branches as the plant ages keeps it looking clean.
Repotting
Container and dwarf forms want a fresh, larger pot every 2 to 3 years. Roots circling the pot, water that races straight through, or growth that has stalled all tell you it's time to move up a size.
Size & spacing
Size depends entirely on the form you plant. The 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 check the label and give each plant the room its variety needs.
When to plant
False cypress is a hardy conifer that goes in the ground rather than a seed tray. Plant it in spring or early fall while the soil is warm and moisture is steady, giving the roots time to settle before summer heat or hard winter cold. There's no bloom or harvest to wait on, since it earns its place 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 trouble traces back to wet feet, dry wind, or a bad pruning cut. Catch the early signs on the tips, the foliage, or in soggy soil and you can step in before a branch is lost. Match what you see below, then act while it still helps.
Slow decline and thinning foliage in soggy ground
A plant that thins out and fades in wet ground is almost always fighting root rot, often Phytophthora. Dig in and you'll find dark, mushy roots instead of firm white ones. There's no saving a badly rotted plant, so improve the drainage, stop overwatering, and replant only where water moves away freely.
Fix:
- Improve drainage immediately and stop overwatering
- Remove severely affected plants
- Replant only in well-drained soil
Branch tips turning brown and dying back
Dying tips usually point to tip blight, a fungus that takes hold on young or stressed growth in wet weather. Drying winter wind can leave the same browning on the sun-facing side. Prune the affected twigs well below the damage, clean your tools between cuts, and give the plant better airflow and shelter from harsh wind.
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
Speckled, bronzed foliage laced with fine webbing
Fine webbing and a dull, stippled cast are the work of spider mites, which thrive on dusty, stressed plants. Tap a branch over white paper and you'll see them move. Bagworms leave a different clue, small spindle-shaped bags hanging from the foliage. Hose mites off, pick the bags by hand, and treat young bagworms with Bt when the crawlers appear in early summer.
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 brown wood that never greens up again
Cut a false cypress back into the bare brown wood at its core and that spot stays dead, because the old wood holds no dormant buds to push fresh shoots. Some interior browning is just age, as shaded lower branches give up over time. Prune only into green, foliage-bearing growth, and clear out dead interior wood for looks while accepting it won't fill back in.
Fix:
- Prune only into green foliage-bearing growth
- Remove dead interior wood for appearance, accepting it will not refill
Toxicity
Good news for households with animals: false cypress is not considered toxic. It doesn't appear on the ASPCA poison lists, and it's regarded as safe around cats and dogs. As with any plant, a pet that wolfs down a lot of foliage might get a brief stomach upset, but there's no real poison to worry about here.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Safe to have around cats, since false cypress isn't on the ASPCA toxic list. A cat that nibbles a lot of foliage might get a passing stomach upset, the same as with many garden plants.
Dogs None
No concern for dogs. The foliage holds nothing toxic, though a big mouthful could leave a curious pup briefly queasy.
Horses Safe
Considered safe around horses, with no toxic compounds reported in the foliage.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can graze near it without harm. It isn't a known poison, so a stray bite won't hurt them.
Livestock Safe
Grazing cattle, goats, and sheep face no real risk from this conifer, which carries no toxins of note.
Birds Safe
Backyard and wild birds are fine around it, and the dense evergreen cover makes good shelter rather than a hazard.
People Safe
No toxic parts for people, though the foliage isn't food and the trimmings can be a touch resinous to handle.
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
Almost no one plants the full-size species. These are the named forms and close relatives you'll actually meet at the nursery.
'Gold Mop' / 'Golden Mop'
A popular dwarf threadleaf form whose stringy, mop-like foliage glows bright golden-yellow, holding around 2 to 3 feet (60 to 90 cm) tall and wide at 10 years before slowly reaching about 5 feet (150 cm).
'Boulevard'
A soft, feathery moss form with blue-green to silvery juvenile foliage that grows to roughly 5 to 6 feet (150 to 180 cm) in 10 years and matures near 12 feet (3.7 m).
'Filifera Aurea'
A golden threadleaf form with weeping branches of thread-like yellow foliage, reaching 6 to 7 feet (180 to 215 cm) in 20 years and eventually about 20 feet (6 m).
Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa)
A separate relative species, recognized by its flatter, fan-like sprays of fragrant scale foliage rather than the Sawara's threadlike look.
Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides)
A North American relative of wet, boggy ground, distinct from the Japanese Sawara false cypress.
How to propagate
How you multiply false cypress depends on what you want. Cuttings copy a prized gold or blue form exactly, while seed gives you the plain species and a grab bag of seedlings.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Mid to late fall · Several weeks to months to root
Cuttings are the standard way to copy the named gold and blue forms, which won't come true from seed. Take them in mid to late fall and be patient, since they can take several weeks to months to put out roots.
SeedModerate
After cone ripening · Slow; seedlings variable
You can grow the straight species from seed sown after the cones ripen, but expect slow, uneven results. The seedlings vary from one another and won't carry the traits of a named cultivar.
Myths
You can shear false cypress hard like a hedge and it will fill back in from the bare wood.
Like most needled evergreens, false cypress carries no dormant buds on its old brown wood. Cut back into that bare interior and the gap stays bare for good. Prune only into green growth and shape the plant a little at a time.
False cypress is poisonous to cats and dogs.
Chamaecyparis doesn't appear on ASPCA toxic-plant lists. It is regarded as non-toxic to cats and dogs, though a pet that chews a lot of any plant may get a mild, passing stomach upset.