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Cyprus Goldcrest

Wilson73Wilson73 Posts: 136
in Plants
Hi folks,I love the colour of the Goldcrest Cyprus trees that I see in the garden centres,can anyone tell me if it's possible to keep them small or will they grow wide and woody inside?When I see them in a slim shape and about 3 feet tall or smaller in the garden centre that's as big as I would like one,so I thought I would ask first,or perhaps it's possible to get a different variety that remains small?

Posts

  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    Unfortunately most conifers do become big eventually and most don't take to pruning too kindly. If you're keen on a yellow colour maybe one of the variegated fastigiate yews would be a better choice because you can trim them but under a metre is quite a small size to get the best out of most plants. 

    Here's the advice by the RHS on Goldcrest: https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=602 topping naturally at 12m you'd have to do a lot of in time trimming to keep them small. But worth thinking if you want to be constantly with a pair of shears in your hands. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • Wilson73Wilson73 Posts: 136
    amancalledgeorge said:
    Unfortunately most conifers do become big eventually and most don't take to pruning too kindly. If you're keen on a yellow colour maybe one of the variegated fastigiate yews would be a better choice because you can trim them but under a metre is quite a small size to get the best out of most plants. 

    Here's the advice by the RHS on Goldcrest: https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=602 topping naturally at 12m you'd have to do a lot of in time trimming to keep them small. But worth thinking if you want to be constantly with a pair of shears in your hands. 

    Thanks you have made a good point there,I wouldn't want to be having to do lots of pruning and  it would have been on a side bed on a small front garden,running along my neighbours drive,and I'm always mindful not to have anything invading their space
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    edited November 2020
    Ive got half a dozen, had them for years, tallest isnt even three ft.

    Monterey version from Homebase.

    Tidy up with a few clips once a year.





  • rachelQrtJHBjbrachelQrtJHBjb Posts: 819
    This isn't a cupressus but may be better suited if you need to restrict growth https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/thuja-occidentalis-rheingold-p632
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Conifers of any kind [apart from leyland cypress] take a while to get to any size, but they keep growing.
    If you want them to stay compact, you need to trim carefully on a regular basis. Once they get away from you, there's no going back  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • ERICS MUMERICS MUM Posts: 627
    Prune the outsides regularly to reduce the chance of the insides getting bare - the brown branches won’t re-sprout.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    I think it would be quite difficult to prune it to that size whilst keeping it’s attractive pointed shape as you would have to keep lopping off the top as well, so it will have a flat top until it’s had a chance to renew the top growth, by which time you would probably need to prune it down again. I have one that was about 2-3ft high when I bought it a couple of years ago, it is now 2ft wide and 6ft tall. Admittedly I haven’t pruned it, but that’s because I like the shape and the size suits it’s location. Still, I’m surprised it grew so quickly! Rather than fight a losing battle, better, as others have said, to buy something with a smaller natural height.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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