Plant Library

Other Names:  Shasta Cypress

Description:

A lovely upright accent tree, yellow new growth is wonderfully fine, gives a soft appearance; use as a solitary accent in the yard or a large garden, very hard to miss all season long

Ornamental Features

Yellow MacNab Cypress is primarily valued in the landscape for its distinctively pyramidal habit of growth. It has attractive green evergreen foliage which emerges yellow in spring. The fragrant threadlike sprays of foliage are highly ornamental and remain green throughout the winter. The peeling antique red bark is extremely showy and adds significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Yellow MacNab Cypress is an open evergreen tree with a strong central leader and a distinctive and refined pyramidal form. It lends an extremely fine and delicate texture to the landscape composition which can make it a great accent feature on this basis alone.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Yellow MacNab Cypress is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Vertical Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• Windbreaks and Shelterbelts

Planting & Growing

Yellow MacNab Cypress will grow to be about 35 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selection of a native North American species.