Golden Showers Lawson Falsecypress
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Golden Showers'
Height: 10 feet
Spread: 8 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: 4b
Other Names: Oregon Cedar, Port Orford Cedar
Description:
A spectacular smaller growing cultivar featuring luminous gold foliage over underlying blue-green older foliage; conical in shape with loose, slightly pendulous foliage; an attractive border or screen as well as an accent shrub for the landscape
Ornamental Features
Golden Showers Lawson Falsecypress is a dwarf conifer which is primarily valued in the landscape or garden for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has attractive gold-variegated bluish-green foliage which emerges yellow in spring. The scale-like sprays of foliage are highly ornamental and turn coppery-bronze in the fall, which persists throughout the winter. The shaggy antique red bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.
Landscape Attributes
Golden Showers Lawson Falsecypress is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Golden Showers Lawson Falsecypress is recommended for the following landscape applications;
- Accent
- Mass Planting
- Hedges/Screening
- General Garden Use
Planting & Growing
Golden Showers Lawson Falsecypress will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 70 years or more.
This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selection of a native North American species.
