Cypress pea: Filifera Nana, Sangold, Baby Blue, Boulevard

Cypress pea or Plumosa Aurea is a popular coniferous tree from the cypress family. The plant began to be planted for landscaping garden plots in the 18th century. Recently, gardeners from all over the world have begun to use conifers in landscape design, in addition to flowering plants.Cypress pea is a bright representative of conifers, which is used not only for growing in the garden, but also as a houseplant.

Description of cypress pea

Beginning gardeners often confuse cypress with cypress. The pea cypress differs from its southern brother in the following:

• frost resistance;
• branches are located in the same plane;
• Small cones ripen on the plant.

Cypress pea is a cone-shaped tree with horizontally growing branches forming a pyramidal crown. The bark is smooth, light brown. Under natural conditions it is propagated by seeds, and at home by cuttings and grafting.

In autumn, yellow-brown cones appear between the bluish-blue needles, reaching 6 mm in diameter. Thanks to the size of the cones, similar to peas, cypress got its name.

The pea-bearing cypress came to our country from Japan. In its homeland, the tree reaches 30–50 m in height. But in our country the plant grows up to 1 m. This depends on the following factors:

• cold winters;
• excess or lack of moisture;
• intensely scorching sun;
• low air humidity.

Energy for the home and properties of cypress pea

Pea cypress includes several species that differ in the shape and color of the needles, size and method of cultivation. There are specimens that can be kept on windowsills. But since the cypress tree belongs to the cypress family, it is shrouded in signs and superstitions.

Here are some of them:

1. Since ancient times, it has been believed that the cypress tree was intended to be grown near a cemetery, as it was a symbol of sadness and melancholy.Therefore, someone who starts a miniature tree may be constantly depressed, which will negatively affect their health.
2. Ephedra has powerful energy. If you grow it on a windowsill or opposite a doorway, it will protect you from the evil eye, but it will also not allow you to enjoy life.
3. Many superstitious summer residents consider the plant to be a “husband’s runner.” A young woman can turn into an old maid, a happy couple can quickly end their marriage.
4. The coniferous tree has established itself as a vampire plant. To ensure a good sleep, it is not recommended to install it in the bedroom.

Although cypress is considered unsuitable for growing in an apartment, it also has positive qualities:

• like all coniferous plants, it purifies the air;
• pine oil is used in aromatherapy;
• The plant is recommended to be grown by people with stagnation in life, work, and creativity.

Whether to believe superstitions or not is up to everyone to decide, but it must be remembered that all changes in life depend on people, and not on the plant. When growing cypress on a windowsill, you need to enjoy the beautiful needles and the smell of a coniferous forest.

Pea cypress in landscape design

Cypress pea fruit was discovered in ancient Japan in 1835. It was brought to Crimea in 1859, and in St. Petersburg they began to decorate palace gardens and parks in 1860.

Nowadays, cypress has found wide application for landscaping:

• in single and group plantings;
• dwarf varieties decorate alpine hills, rocky gardens and rockeries;
• looks harmonious in a group with conifers and decorative deciduous shrubs.

Varieties of pea cypress

There are more than 100 species of pea cypress, which differ in the shape, size and color of the needles.Each species is unique and suitable for growing in the garden.

Cypress pea Filifera Aurea

Cypress pea Filifera Aurea is a tall plant, growing up to 5 m in height. The wide-conical crown is formed by thread-like shoots covered with soft, bright yellow needles. The plant is light-loving; when grown in the shade, it loses its decorative appearance.

For good growth and development, it is recommended to plant ephedra on nutritious, well-drained soil. Choose a quiet place, protected from drafts.

The plant is used to decorate alpine slides, rockeries, and rocky gardens. The species also looks good in single and group plantings.

Cypress pea Filifera Nana

Cypress pea Filifera Nana is a low-growing coniferous shrub that has found application in landscape design. The dense, spherical shrub is covered with bright emerald needles and small light brown cones that ripen in the first half of September.

Cypress is a slow-growing plant; in 20 years it grows half a meter in height and 1 m in width. Due to its small size, the shrub can be grown in apartment conditions. Propagated by cuttings, loves sun and moist, nutritious soil.

Cypress pea-bearing Filifera Aurea Nana

Filifera Aura Nana belongs to the dwarf varieties of pea cypress. Slow-growing, evergreen shrub with a spherical golden-olive crown. Seasonal growth is 5 cm in height and width.

The species is unpretentious, frost-resistant, forms a densely branched crown of arched shoots. It develops well in moist, nutritious soil and in an open sunny place.

In landscape design, pea cypress is used to decorate alpine slides, Japanese and Chinese gardens; it looks good against the backdrop of brick and stonework.

Cypress pea plant Filifera Gracilis

Cypress pea Filifera Gracil is a tall shrub; an adult plant grows up to 5 m in height. Filifera Gracilis is considered the most frost-resistant variety; it tolerates cold, little snow winters in central Russia.

The species forms a wide-conical crown of thread-like, strongly drooping shoots. Designed for growing in Chinese, Dutch and Japanese style gardens, rock gardens and rockeries.

Cypress pea Sangold

Pea cypress Sangold is a low-growing species. An adult plant reaches 1 m in height and 2 m in width. The wide-conical crown is formed by flexible, hanging shoots of a reddish-brown color.

Cypress Sangold, description:

• golden emerald needles do not lose their brightness on cold winter days;
• the species is frost-resistant, winters well at a temperature of -25 degrees;
• a young plant requires shelter, since spring frosts can destroy the current year’s growth;
• To give a decorative appearance, spring sanitary pruning is necessary.

Cypress pea Sangold needs proper planting and regular care. Choose a place that is bright, with nutritious, well-drained soil. On dry soil, growth and development stops.

Care consists of regular watering and mulching the soil. Pruning is needed to give a decorative appearance and remove damaged branches that have not overwintered. For the winter, the young plant is covered, the soil is mulched with peat, straw or rotted compost.

Cypress pea Baby Blue

Cypress pea BabyBlue is a dwarf, cone-shaped shrub, compact in shape. The soft, needle-shaped needles are colored bright olive on one side and silvery-bluish on the other.

The species prefers to grow in a sunny area, protected from cold winds. The soil must be fertile, well-drained, acidic or slightly alkaline.

Baby Blue looks good in single plantings, in horizontal compositions, for growing in containers and for making borders.

Cypress pea Boulevard (Boulevard)

Cypress pea Boulevard is a decorative, slow-growing species with narrow-conical, bluish-silver needles. It is different from other varieties and is very reminiscent of thuja or juniper.

The species is low-growing, reaching a height of up to 1 m. Due to its decorative appearance, the plant is widely used in landscape design.

Cypress pea Squarrosa

An evergreen species with a wide, dense crown. The decorative appearance of the plant is given by needle-shaped, silver-blue needles, soft and smooth to the touch.

The species prefers moist, well-drained and nutritious soil. The culture is slow growing, annual growth is 25 cm in height and 15 cm in width.

Frost resistance is high, withstands temperatures down to -30 degrees.

Cypress pea Plumosa Aurea

The evergreen, broadly cone-shaped tree produces a dense crown of red-brown, horizontally growing shoots. The plant is covered with golden-yellow needle-shaped needles, between which small cones with a diameter of no more than 6 mm in diameter can be seen.

The variety is decorative due to the color of the needles, which become brighter in winter.Designed for growing on alpine hills, in rocky gardens, next to conifers and ornamental plants.

Golden cypress

Cypress pea-bearing Rays of the Sun or Golden is a medium-sized, evergreen tree growing up to 5 m in height. The wide-conical crown is formed by thin, sagging, light brown shoots.

Bright golden needles with a faint aroma lighten in winter and look elegant on the snow-white snow. Despite its slow growth, the plant produces miniature light brown cones with a diameter of 6 mm to 1 cm in the year of planting.

Cypress pea white beauty

White Beauty cypress is a low-growing coniferous shrub. The cone-shaped crown is formed by thin flexible shoots covered with silver-green needles with snow-white tips.

The species is slow growing and develops well in fertile, well-drained soil. Prefers a bright, draft-free place. White Beauty is frost-hardy and can grow in regions with unstable weather and little snowy winters.

In landscape design, they are used for planting in single and group plantings, to decorate flower beds and next to ornamental shrubs.

Cypress pea Golden Mop

Dwarf evergreen shrub with a flat-spherical crown. Cord-like shoots are branched and hanging. The height of an adult tree reaches up to half a meter in height, so the species is recommended for growing at home.

The light gold, scaly needles are soft and smooth. The light brown cones are small and appear in the first year after planting.

It is better to grow pea cypress of the Golden Mop variety in a sunny place, since in partial shade the plant loses its decorative appearance. The frost resistance of the species is average; when grown in a harsh climate, young shoots without shelter may freeze.

In landscape design, the bush is used for planting in rock gardens, deciduous and coniferous compositions, and as a tapeworm on lawns.

Cypress pea Gold Spangle

Cypress pea Gold Spangle is a tall coniferous plant, reaches a height of up to 4 m, with a diameter of up to 150 cm. The dark brown shoots are short, involuntarily located on the trunk, making the bush look disheveled.

The bright golden needles are soft and smooth, changing color to copper when cold weather sets in. In order for the cypress pea to grow and develop well, it needs to be provided with:

• sunny or semi-shaded area;
• slightly acidic, moist, well-drained soil;
• shelter for the winter;
• regular mulching of the soil.

The variety is recommended to be planted in rocky and heather gardens, in rock gardens and next to green conifers.

Cypress pea Blue Moon

Low-growing shrub with short, stiff shoots. The spherical crown is covered with steel-blue needles, which lighten in winter. The variety is unpretentious and can grow in sunny or partial shade. It is undemanding to the soil, minimal care, and does not require pruning.

Blue pea cypress was named the best new product in 2015 and was awarded the highest award.

The plant looks beautiful among green conifers, low-growing ornamental shrubs, in flower beds and rock gardens.

Rules for planting pea cypress

To achieve the expected result from planting cypress pea, you need to choose the right place and plant.

Pea cypress grows well and develops in a bright place, where strong, cold winds will not reach it. The soil on the site should be nutritious and well-drained.

When planting several bushes, it is necessary to maintain an interval of at least 1 m, since the root system develops horizontally.

How to plant a plant correctly:

1. Prepare a light nutrient soil. This can be humus or purchased soil intended for coniferous crops.
2. Dig a hole, the depth of which should correspond to the size of the root system.
3. Place the seedling in the center of the planting hole and begin to fill it with prepared soil, compacting each layer so that no air cushion occurs.
4. The earth is watered and mulched.

Caring for pea cypress

Cypress pea is an unpretentious plant. To grow a healthy and beautiful shrub, you need to put in a minimum of effort and maximum care.

Cypress loves moist soil without stagnant water. Watering is carried out once every 7 days. For each bush you need to spend at least 10 liters of water. For irrigation, settled, warm water is used.

High air humidity is also important for shrubs. If the humidity is low, the plant quickly loses its decorative appearance.

The first fertilizing is applied 60 days after planting. For this purpose, complex mineral fertilizers with a high nitrogen content are used. Feeding is carried out 2 times a month.From the 20th of July, fertilizers are not applied.

Adult pea cypress is fed in June-July with fertilizer for conifers. The interval between feeding should be at least 10–15 days.

Pea cypress requires regular pruning. It is carried out:

1. To form a crown, it is not recommended to remove more than 30% of the shoots. Carry out 12 months after planting.
2. Sanitary pruning - remove damaged and unwintered shoots.
3. Autumn haircut - young growths are shortened by 1/3.

Reproduction

To preserve varietal specimens, cypress trees can be propagated by cuttings and layering.

In spring or autumn, cuttings 10–15 cm long are cut, treated in a growth stimulator and buried in a substrate made from sand, perlite and pine bark in equal proportions.

For quick rooting, seedlings are covered with plastic film to create a microgreenhouse. After the young growths appear, the film is removed, the container is moved to a warm, bright place and they begin to care for it as if it were an adult plant. After reaching 20–25 cm, the plant is transferred to a permanent place.

Propagation by offsets is effective only for dwarf varieties. To do this, select a healthy, low-growing shoot and place it in a prepared trench so that the top rises above the ground. The outlet is covered with earth, watered generously and mulched. After rooting, the young plant is separated from the mother plant and transplanted to a new, prepared place.

Features of growing cypress pea in the Moscow region

In order for the plant to take root and develop well, the planting hole for pea cypress begins in the first half of October. For this:

1. The soil is dug up to a depth of 90 cm.The holes are made at a distance of 1 to 4 m, depending on the plant variety.
2. The bottom of the planting hole is covered with a 15 cm layer of drainage.
3. The next stage is laying the fertilizer. To do this, combine peat, turf soil, sand and humus in a ratio of 2:3:1:3. The top layer of soil is introduced into the prepared mixture and everything is thoroughly mixed.
4. The dug holes are covered with protective material to create a favorable microclimate. In the spring, the fertilizer will rot, and the earth will be ready to accept the young plant.
5. In the spring, the hole is watered and the root system of the seedling is straightened.
6. The prepared planting material is placed in the center of the hole and 300 g of nitroammophoska is added.
7. The roots are covered with soil, compacting each layer.
8. The soil is watered generously and mulched.

Diseases of pea cypress

Despite the high immunity to diseases, the plant can be affected by root rot. It appears due to improper care or unfavorable climatic conditions. To prevent water stagnation in the area, you must:

• choose the right place with deep groundwater;
• lay a layer of drainage at the bottom of the planting hole;
• Water thoroughly as needed.

If the plant is sick, treatment will be ineffective. Therefore, it is dug up, all damaged roots are removed, the ground is treated with fungicides, and the plant is transplanted to a new location.

Of the insect pests that can damage cypress pea fruit:

1. Spider mite. The first signs of a pest are yellowing and falling of the needles. For treatment, drugs “Nissorano” and “Apollo” are used.
2. Shield. The insect sucks the sap from the tree, which leads to its death.At the first signs, the plant is sprayed with the drug “Nuprid”.

If you follow the rules of care and carry out timely sanitary pruning, the coniferous plant will attract attention with its beautiful appearance.

Reviews about cypress pea

Conclusion

Pea cypress is a bright representative of conifers, which is used for landscaping a personal plot. If the task is to make it beautiful and unique, you should not be afraid of difficulties and believe superstitions. Growing a coniferous tree is a simple and very interesting task.

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