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Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Red Star'

Previously known as:

  • Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Rubicon'
Phonetic Spelling
kam-ee-SIP-a-riss thy-OY-deez
Description

‘Red Star' is a cultivar of white cypress. It is a woody, needled evergreen tree or shrub in the Cupressaceae (cypress) family.  The parent plant is native to the wetlands and bogs of eastern United States. This cultivar was first discovered in the 1960s in Winchester, Tennessee by Humphrey J. Welch at the Tennessee Valley Nursery and it is known for its colorful needles that provide year round interest by changing from silvery blue in the spring to deep green blue in the summer and purple-bronze in the winter.  The genus name derives from the Greek word chamai, for dwarf or low to the ground, and kyparissos, for cypress.

It requires full sun to partial shade, loam or sandy moist soil with a neutral to acidic pH and good drainage, though the plant tolerates wet soils where other evergreen plants suffer. The best winter color will appear in full sun.

It is a dense, columnar small tree or shrub with silver to blue-green foliage during the warm season that turns a deep reddish-purple in the cold season. Cone clusters provide winter interest. It may take 10 years to fully mature to 15 to 25 feet tall and 4 to 12 feet wide. 

‘Red Star’ is an easy to grow low maintenance plant for coastal gardens. Plant a specimen in a container, lawn, or near a pond. It is also conducive to mass planting or planting in small groups. Add it to rain, rock, or winter gardens. It is deer resistant. 

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems.

VIDEO created by Ryan Contreras for “Landscape Plant Materials I:  Deciduous Hardwoods and Conifers or Landscape Plant Materials II:  Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University

Additional video Chamaecyparis Created by Elizabeth Meyer for "Trees, Shrubs and Conifers" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

More information on Chamaecyparis thyoides.

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Tags:
#evergreen#small tree#full sun tolerant#rain garden#specimen#easy to grow#low maintenance#winter interest#dwarf#mass planting#year-round interest#low lying area#needled evergreen#deer resistant#foundation planting#pond garden#rock garden#Asian garden#short lifespan#small group plantings#wet soils tolerant#winter color red#winter color purple#partial shade tolerant#lawn planting#container plant#coastal plant#dense growth
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#evergreen#small tree#full sun tolerant#rain garden#specimen#easy to grow#low maintenance#winter interest#dwarf#mass planting#year-round interest#low lying area#needled evergreen#deer resistant#foundation planting#pond garden#rock garden#Asian garden#short lifespan#small group plantings#wet soils tolerant#winter color red#winter color purple#partial shade tolerant#lawn planting#container plant#coastal plant#dense growth
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Chamaecyparis
    Species:
    thyoides
    Family:
    Cupressaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Woody
    Dimensions:
    Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Shrub
    Tree
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Needled Evergreen
    Habit/Form:
    Ascending
    Columnar
    Dense
    Growth Rate:
    Slow
    Maintenance:
    Low
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Occasionally Wet
    Available Space To Plant:
    6-feet-12 feet
    12-24 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Description:
    Confier, no fruit, produces cones
  • Flowers:
    Flower Description:
    Conifer, no flowers
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Needled Evergreen
    Leaf Color:
    Blue
    Gray/Silver
    Green
    Leaf Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Purple/Lavender
    Red/Burgundy
    Leaf Type:
    Needles
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Description:
    Short scale-like foliage is silver blue in the spring and blue green in the summer and red-purple bronze in the winter providing a lot of interest throughout the year.
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Coastal
    Container
    Lawn
    Pond
    Landscape Theme:
    Rain Garden
    Rock Garden
    Winter Garden
    Design Feature:
    Foundation Planting
    Mass Planting
    Small groups
    Small Tree
    Specimen
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Deer
    Pollution
    Wet Soil