Horse cypress ∗ The 10 best planting and care tips

Characteristics

• Scientific name: Cupressocyparis leylandii
• Family: Cypress family (Cupressaceae)
• Synonyms: Leyland cypress, bastard cypress
• Occurrence: Europe
• Growth type: conifer
• Growth form: conical
• Growth height: 8 m to 30 m
• Leaf: acicular, scale-like
• Flower: cones
• Fruit: cones
• Hardiness: hardy
• Use: hedge plant

growth

the bastard cypress is a large, evergreen conifer that can grow very quickly and very densely. Cupressocyparis leylandii is the successful result of crossing Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) and Nootkafalse cypress (Xanthocyparis nootkatensis). The shapely cypress is also known to hobby gardeners under the names Leyland cypress, Cuprocyparis leylandii and Leylandii cypress. The bastard cypress is mainly planted as a hedge. Why this is so is illustrated by these key growth figures:

• growth habit: erect-bushy cypress with a conical silhouette; opaque branching; flattened, slightly overhanging twigs with evergreen scale-like needles.
• growth height: 8 m to 25 m, rarely to 30 m.
• growth width: 1.50m to 5m.
• root: Shallow roots
• growth rate: 40 cm to 100 cm, under ideal conditions up to 150 cm growth per year.
• Horticulturally interesting properties: easy to care for, hardy, tolerates pruning, evergreen, opaque all year round, stable under snow pressure, slightly poisonous, the fastest growing cypress.

Garden professional Herbert lower introduces the bastard cypress as a hedge plant

Sheet

The leaf organs of a bastard cypress are characterized by these characteristics:

• leaf shape: acicular
• arrangement: scaly
• leaf color: evergreen, dark green (varieties also yellow-green, grey-green or blue-green).
• texture: soft, scaly-rough, pliable.
• special feature: Unprotected skin contact may cause an allergic reaction.

blossom

The bastard cypress thrives monoecious with separate sexes. Male and female flowers sit harmoniously on a conifer. A male flower is elongated. The female counterpart spherical. However, cones are rarely seen because a Leyland cypress hedge plant is regularly pruned.

digression

Leylandii 2001 - denser, more compact, simply better

Plant bastard cypress

As container goods, the bastard cypress can be planted all year round. The only premise is a frost-free ground. The best planting time is from September to the beginning of November and again in March/April. Ready-to-plant Leyland cypresses of various qualities are available for purchase in autumn and spring. The choice of location and planting technique can also be mastered by beginners without any problems. Read here how to properly plant a Leyland cypress hedge:

Buy Cupressocyparis leylandii

Planting a 10 meter long Leyland cypress hedge from 100 centimeter young plants (roughly estimated) costs between 900 and 3,900 euros. With the maximum volume discount, the price drops to around 260 euros. The following table illustrates the benefits of a price comparison:

Location

Basically, a bastard cypress grows where you plant the conifer. Advantageous for rapid growth for opaque wind and privacy hedge is a location with these framework conditions:

• sun up penumbra.
• normal garden floor, preferably rich in nutrients, fresh and moist and loosely permeable.

Extra tip for builders: If the Leyland cypress hedge is planted on a new property, a 30 cm to 50 cm thick layer is enough topsoil optimal.

planting tips

Good preparation is just as important as expert planting technique and initial care. These tips sum up how to plant Cupressocyparis leylandii as a hedge:

• The correct course of the hedge is measured and marked with strings stretched out.
• Ideally, the conifer hedge is planted in a ditch and not in individual planting holes.
• heavier clay soil is optimized with sand, light sandy soil is optimized with compost.
• The planting distance is 30 cm to 100 cm, depending on the growth height and the desired duration until the privacy function.
• On the day of planting or in the next spring, the bastard cypress receives the first pruning by a third.
• Penetrating pouring and mulching with bark mulch are the first care measures.

Balcony gardeners plant the bastard cypress as a wind and privacy screen in a large bucket with a height and diameter of at least 40 centimeters. A layer 10 centimeters thick expanded clay(€19.00 at Amazon*) on the bucket bottom prevents waterlogging. High-quality potting soil without peat content, enriched with, is suitable as a substrate lava granules(€14.00 at Amazon*) or expanded clay.

Cultivate bastard cypress

The bastard cypress is easy to care for. The main pillars of the simple care program are a continuous water supply, the seasonal supply of nutrients and pruning twice a year. Read here the best care tips for Cupressocyparis leylandii as a hedge plant:

Pour

• In the event of a drought, water the bastard cypress promptly as soon as the soil feels dry.
• priority rainwater or use stagnant tap water for watering.
• Water evergreen conifers during cold frost even in winter on mild days.

Fertilize

• In March and June fertilize with 3 liters of compost and 100 grams horn shavings(€9.00 at Amazon*) per square meter.
• Alternatively, an organic-mineral one conifer fertilizer administer according to the manufacturer's instructions.

To cut

As a fast-growing hedge plant, the bastard cypress is pruned two to three times a year. You can get detailed cutting instructions here read. You can read a compact summary in these tips & tricks:

• cutting dates: February/beginning of March (main date), end of June (maintenance cut), middle/end of August (optional).
• Rule of thumb incision: Only cut back in the green needled area.
• cut shape: Cut Leyland cypress hedge in a conical trapezium shape (broad base, narrower crown).

After the pruning, the bastard cypress is grateful for a portion of compost with horn shavings. After a last pruning in August, the conifer benefits as a hedge plant or solitary from organic fertilization comfrey manure.

multiply

The bastard cypress is very easy to propagate by cuttings. The following brief instructions explain how to do it correctly:

1. The best time is in early summer.
2. Tear half-woody, two-year-old twigs off the branch as tears, including a tongue of bark.
3. Defoliate cuttings from below and trim to 10cm to 15cm.
4. Interface including bark tongue in root activator dip.
5. Root the cuttings in a bowl of moist coconut soil in a bright, warm location.

diseases and pests

The bastard cypress is spared from diseases and pests. Brown needle discoloration is a reaction to drought stress. Regular watering when it is dry is therefore part of the horticultural obligatory program.

Popular Varieties

These beautiful hybrid cypress varieties bring more color into play, inspire as a cypress column or decorate the small garden:

• Gold Riders: Yellow bastard cypress as a solitary plant and hedge plant with golden-yellow foliage and particularly fast growth, stature height 7 m to 12 m, spread 3 m to 4 m.
• Castlewellan Gold: Large-growing yellow bastard cypress up to 25 m tall and robust in winter down to – 35° Celsius.
• Ice Column à Italia: Direct import from Italy with a slender, columnar silhouette, height of growth 8 m to 30 m, spread of 1.50 m to 4.50 m.
• blue jeans: Leyland cypress for the small garden with blue-green, scaly needles, growth height 3.50 m to 4.50 m.

FAQ

Is the bastard cypress poisonous?

Botanists and nursery masters classify the bastard cypress as slightly poisonous. Unprotected skin contact can cause itchy, allergic reactions in sensitive people. In contrast to other evergreen hedge plants, such as yew (Taxus) or thuja (Thuja), the conifer can definitely be planted in the family garden.

How often should you trim a Leyland cypress hedge?

For opaque, rapid growth, a Leyland cypress hedge should be trimmed at least twice a year. The best time for the extensive shape and maintenance cut is in February. In June/July cut back this year's growth to the desired extent. Please always limit pruning to the green-needled shoot area. A bastard cypress will no longer sprout from old wood.

Is it possible to transplant a bastard cypress planted the previous year?

You can transplant a bastard cypress without any problems within the first five years. The best time is in early spring, as soon as the ground is frost-free. It is important to ensure that there is a good supply of water and nutrients so that the Leylandii cypress can grow well at the new location.

How old can a Leyland cypress tree get as a hedge?

The Leyland cypress, also known as the bastard cypress, is a cross between the true Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) and the Nootka cypress (Xanthocyparis nootkatensis). Both parents are among the particularly long-lived cypress plants. From this it can be concluded that a Leyland cypress hedge can live up to 200 years with good care.

Does the bastard cypress as a hedge plant need winter protection in the year of planting?

In harsh winter locations, winter protection makes sense in the year of planting. In severe frost, the tips of the branches can freeze. Wintry glorious weather with sunshine and temperatures below freezing is particularly dangerous. Needles warmed by the sunshine evaporate water that the roots in the frozen ground cannot supply. In technical terms, this phenomenon is known as frost or frost dryness. Best winter protection is a temporary cover with plant fleece.