For a touch of elegance and soft texture in your garden throughout the year, look no further than the Soft Serve® False Cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Dow Whiting’). This exceptional evergreen, a Proven Winners® selection, brings a unique charm to landscape beds and container arrangements alike. Its foliage boasts a vibrant green hue on the surface, beautifully contrasted with silver-blue undertones that shimmer in the sunlight.
This improved variety of False Cypress is celebrated for its refined beauty and manageable size, making it an ideal choice for both small and large gardens. The Soft Serve® Cypress maintains the beloved, soft, fern-like foliage characteristic of False Cypresses, but presents it in a perfectly compact, conical form. This natural pyramidal shape eliminates the need for extensive pruning, allowing you to effortlessly enjoy its graceful silhouette.
The uniform, dwarf nature of Soft Serve® Cypress opens up a world of possibilities for landscape design. Whether you envision a formal garden with structured symmetry or a more relaxed, informal setting, this versatile evergreen adapts seamlessly. Its texture is often compared to the Dwarf Alberta Spruce, but Soft Serve® offers a softer, more open appearance, adding an airy lightness to your outdoor spaces. Growing to a mature height of around 10 feet at a slow pace, this cypress maintains its desirable shape naturally, minimizing maintenance and maximizing visual appeal. Gardeners appreciate the dependable performance and year-round beauty this evergreen brings to any landscape.
Landscaping Ideas with Soft Serve® Cypress
The Soft Serve® Cypress is incredibly versatile, lending itself to numerous creative applications throughout your garden.
Consider using a single Soft Serve® as a striking focal point near an entryway or staircase. Pair it with large, decorative pots to create a sophisticated and grounded seasonal container garden display. Alternatively, strategically place them to define transitions within your landscape, smoothly guiding the eye from one garden area to another, such as from a side yard leading into the backyard.
For perennial borders or garden beds, a grouping of Soft Serve® Cypresses can create a stunning anchor. Planting them in a staggered zig-zag pattern, in odd numbers like 3, 5, 7, or 9, adds visual interest and depth. They form a wonderfully soft and textured backdrop for flowering shrubs like upright shrub roses or hydrangeas, enhancing the colors and forms of your favorite blooms.
Soft Serve® Cypress also makes an excellent addition to a collection of dwarf evergreens. Combine it with varieties like Bird’s Nest Spruce or Baker’s Colorado Blue Spruce to showcase the diversity of textures and forms within the conifer family. The upright habit and unique foliage of Soft Serve® will provide beautiful contrast and dimension in such arrangements.
Need to screen an unsightly view or create a sense of privacy? Soft Serve® Cypress is an ideal choice for creating a living screen. For a dense, low-maintenance hedge reaching 8 to 10 feet in height, plant these cypresses approximately 3 feet apart from trunk to trunk. Opting for larger plant sizes at the outset will give your hedge a faster start.
For those with limited garden space, or to add portable greenery, Soft Serve® Cypress thrives in large decorative containers. Enjoy year-round visual interest and enduring beauty by incorporating them into container arrangements. Positioning two containers at your front door creates a welcoming and symmetrical sentinel display.
Bird enthusiasts will appreciate that Soft Serve® False Cypress provides valuable winter shelter for songbirds and quail, attracting wildlife to your garden.
- Graceful, Soft, Fern-Like Branches: Adds delicate texture and movement.
- Compact Conical Conifer: Provides structure and form without overwhelming space.
- Year-Round Visual Interest: Maintains color and form throughout all seasons.
- Ornamental Form: Naturally beautiful shape enhances garden aesthetics.
- Great Specimens, Ideal For Hedges & Perfect Container Plant: Versatile for various landscaping uses.
#ProPlantTips for Soft Serve® Cypress Care
To ensure your Soft Serve® Cypress thrives, choose a planting location that offers some protection from harsh winter sun and strong winds, particularly in colder climates. This cypress is well-suited for cooler coastal regions and the eastern slopes of hotter, drier areas. Pay attention to watering, especially during the summer months, and maintain consistently moist soil.
Soft Serve® Cypress is remarkably low-maintenance and requires minimal pruning. If desired, light pruning can be done in the summer to maintain a formal hedge shape.
This adaptable evergreen prefers moist, well-drained soils with a slightly acidic pH range of 5.5 to 6.0. If your soil pH is higher, amend the planting area with an acid-loving planting mix. Consider incorporating about 25% Dr. Earth Acid Lovers Planting Mix into your soil and fertilizing four times a year with Dr. Earth Acid Lovers Organic and Natural Acid Fertilizer to help maintain optimal soil acidity.
Upon planting, water thoroughly and apply a 3 to 4-inch layer of mulch around the base, extending out about 3 feet in a circle. Mulch helps to keep the roots cool, retain soil moisture, and suppress weeds. Be sure to keep the mulch slightly away from the trunk to prevent potential issues.
If deer are common in your area, Soft Serve® Cypress is known for its deer resistance. However, for extra protection, especially when plants are young, consider applying a deer repellent, particularly right after planting.
- Full Sun: Thrives in full sun exposure for best color and growth.
- Moderate Moisture Needs & Well-Drained Soil: Adaptable to various soil types as long as drainage is good and moisture is consistent.
- Prune In Summer – Minimal Pruning Needed: Low-maintenance shaping if desired.
- Low Maintenance: Easy to care for, ideal for busy gardeners.
- Deer Resistant: Reduces worry about deer damage.
- Salt Tolerant for Roadside Use: Suitable for planting in areas exposed to road salt.
The Soft Serve® Cypress is truly a stunning small tree that will bring enduring beauty to your landscape throughout the year. Enhance your garden today – order your Soft Serve® False Cypress from Proven Winners® and NatureHills.com now!
