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vicb_gw

Cypress tree question

VicB
10 years ago

About 45 days ago we had our contractor find and plant 3 cypress trees in our new garden. However, I'm now wondering if these are the trees I was looking for!
I expected those dark green trees with tight branches pointing upward in a natural conical shape. As you can see, these are nothing like that..
Did my contractor get the wrong cypress trees? Or will my trees shape up once they settle in their new habitat?

Thank you for your feedback

Comments (10)

  • Embothrium
    10 years ago

    Yes these are Italian cypress - which means they are going to get WAY too big for where you have them planted. This is the familiar skyline tree of Mediterranean climates - one example in Sacramento was determined to be 94' tall during 1984.

  • Embothrium
    10 years ago

    Yes these are Italian cypress - which means they are going to get WAY too big for where you have them planted. This is the familiar skyline tree of Mediterranean climates - one example in Sacramento was determined to be 94' tall during 1984.

  • Embothrium
    10 years ago

    I guess each tree got its own post!

  • Sequoiadendron4
    10 years ago

    If you don't have a roof overhang above them, you should be ok. They don't get that wide so they will be a little scrunched against the building when they get older.

    On a side note, your grass looks amazing!

  • Smivies (Ontario - 5b)
    10 years ago

    Right tree, wrong place. Even the narrowest Italian Cypress is going to be rubbing against the siding in a few years...say nothing of what happens when it passes the eaves.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    your contractor is an idiot .. find a better one.. or hopefully his work is done.....

    absolute worst spacing job i have ever seen ...

    i took your common name.. and converted it to the latin and did an IMAGES search at google... see link... you tell me.. it that the right conifer???? for that space?????

    and being so close.. it will spend the rest of its life.. leaning away from the structure .... they should be.. at a min.. 3 to 5 feet from the house ...

    NEVER FORGET.. foundation plantings are planted to HIDE the foundation.. NOT ON THE FREAKING FOUNDATION ... as bugs once said.. what a maroon ... [him.. not you.. you are brilliant.. as you suspected the issue]

    move them.. its easy.. dig new hole ... grab this recently planted plant.. drag to new hole.. water ... ask if you want the planting guide i usually post ....

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: there might be smaller named versions.. but you did not provide that fact ....

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    10 years ago

    I agree with Ken, the "contractor" doesn't seem to know what he/she is doing.

  • Embothrium
    10 years ago

    Just the trunk by itself on a large example like the one I mentioned is going to be something on the order of 2 1/2'-3' across. The branch spread will be much greater than that, even on an unusually narrow tree like this.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    its patently obvious... the contractor is probably a builder.. not a horticulturist ...

    if he is.. he should be embarrassed ... lol

    on replanting.. leave at least a 2 foot circle around that plant.. to keep the dude with the weedwhip away from that plant ... and add mulch ... see link to proper planting advice ...

    i would also create a garden bed there .. to again.. keep the weedwhip guy away from what looks like brand new siding.. along with his brother.. the lawnmower guy ...

    can you see how the planting has created a nightmare lawn cutting situation??? .. something is going to be harmed.. either the plant.. or the siding ....

    these are conifers.. there is a very active conifer forum .. and if you create a 3 to 5 foot bed.. we could enable you into hundreds of SIZE APPROPRIATE conifers for the space ... based on where you are ...

    but they are also trees.. so no need to duplicate this post ...

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: link

  • VicB
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you all for your feedback. Didn't realize how passionate gardeners could be! I must confess that I asked my contractor (yes, he is a builder not a horticulturist)) to put the cypress trees there. The goal is to hide the height of my garage siding which as you can see is pretty high without encroaching too much on the lawn space. I also understand that cypress tree will grow much higher and wider, although I did plan on trimming them along the way. But perhaps I should seek an alternative? I live in the Oakland, CA hills where it rarely gets above 80 degrees or below 50 and it doesn't rain much. Trees are facing the sun from 11:00 am til sunset.
    My original question still remains... I am familiar (I'm originally from southern France...) with dark green conical trees with tight branches pointing upwards, no matter their size. These are nothing like that and I was wondering if there are variations of that med cypress?!?

    Again, thank you.

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