Chamaecyparis obtusa Tsatsumi Gold - Hinoki Cypress

Collector's item

Chamaecyparis obtusa Tsatsumi Gold - Hinoki Cypress

Chamaecyparis obtusa Tsatsumi Gold
Hinoki Cypress, Japanese Cypress, Hinoki False Cypress

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Chamaecyparis obtusa Tsatsumi Gold - Hinoki Cypress 2L/3L pot sample as delivered in autumn

2L/3L pot (Shipped height around 5/10cm)

€24.50

Sku: 636002

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This plant carries a 24 months recovery warranty

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Dwarf variety with flexible, loose and irregular growth, giving it a unique character. The tips of its foliage are golden-yellow, contrasting with the green of the rest of the shrub. It reaches a height of 50 cm (19.7 in) in 10 years. This small conifer brings colour and whimsy to small spaces or containers. Plant in a sunny exposure in rich, moist, humus-bearing soil that is perfectly drained and not too chalky.

Height at maturity

90 cm

Spread at maturity

70 cm

Exposure

Sun, Partial shade

Hardiness

Hardy down to -23.5°C

Soil moisture

Moist soil

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Best planting time February to March, October to November

Recommended planting time February to June, September to November

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Description

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Tsatsumi Gold' is a dwarf variety of false cypress with flexible, loose and irregular growth, giving it a unique personality. The tips of its scale-like foliage are a bright golden-yellow, forming a striking harmony with the rest of the greenish-yellow to light green foliage. Slow-growing, it will reach a height of 50 cm (19.7 in) in 10 years. This small, slightly tousled conifer will bring colour and whimsy to small spaces, rockeries or containers. It prefers a sunny exposure, in rich, humus-rich and moist soil that is low in lime and perfectly drained.

Also called Hinoki Cypress from Japan and capable of reaching a height of 50 m (164 ft) in its natural environment, the false cypress is mainly used for making lacquered furniture and for constructing numerous buildings such as palaces in its country of origin. The dwarf variety, 'Tsatsumi Gold', has an upright and spreading, irregular and tortuous habit, growing slowly to form a bush almost as wide as it is tall. After ten years of growth, it will reach a height of 50 to 60 cm (19.7 to 23.6 in), with a diameter of 50 cm (19.7 in). An adult specimen will measure 90 cm (35.4 in) to 1 m (3 ft 4 in) in height, after many years of growth. It bears very thin and sinuate branches, which are sometimes arched, and which are invariably twisted and tortuous. Its foliage consists of tiny flat scales, yellow-golden at the tips of the leaves, with the older foliage blending greenish-yellow to light green. It produces small, round dark brown cones.

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Tsatsumi Gold' is ideal for container cultivation on a terrace or in small gardens due to its slow growth and small size. With its tortuous silhouette and golden appearance, it will work wonders in your rockeries, alongside darker varieties. The true visual qualities of dwarf conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of forms, silhouettes and textures over the waltz of flowering. These plants, with their reassuring permanence, structurally anchor a bed, mark pathways and border terraces, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood. They serve as a setting for small roses, peonies, or tousled grasses with highly complementary temperaments. They can also be combined with shrubs or ground cover plants such as aubrietas and ceraistes, as well as flowering shrubs. The key is to play with volumes and colours.

Tips: Water during periods of high heat as it is sensitive to drought.

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Chamaecyparis, False cypress: planting, pruning and caring for

Family sheet

Modified the 10 August 2025 by Eva 12 min.

Chamaecyparis, False cypress: planting, pruning and caring for

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Chamaecyparis are among those conifers with dense, scaly foliage appreciated for the making of hedges, notably the Chamaecyparis lawsoniana species, surprisingly used in its typical form. It is nevertheless one of the conifers that has produced the greatest number of cultivars (over 200!) such as Alumii with very compact, bluish foliage and a conical form of 3 to 4.50 m or Ellwoodii, much used in hedges. The wild form, capable in cultivation of reaching 36 m in height with a trunk of 1.20 m diameter, comes from the north‑west United States, like the giant Thuja. Its branchlets, tinged dark green or bluish green, with slightly trailing tips, give it a remarkable, somewhat phantasmagorical undulating appearance while its variety Aurea Densa forms a spectacularly compact golden column. Sawara cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera) and Japanese Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) also offer a range of dwarf or moderately vigorous cultivars, with filamentous or, conversely, blunt branchlets, with a fern‑like habit (<a href="https://www.promessedefleurs.ie/shrubs/conifers/conifers-by-variety/chamaecyparis/chamaecyparis-obtusa-teddy-bear-hinoki-cypress.html">C. obtusa Teddy Bear</a>), acidular in <a href="https://www.promessedefleurs.ie/shrubs/conifers/conifers-by-variety/chamaecyparis/chamaecyparis-obtusa-wissel-hinoki-cypress.html">obtusa Wissel</a> in very attractive golden, bluish or intense green colours. The word 'Chamaecyparis' is derived from Greek and means 'cypress‑shaped', given the strong resemblance of its conical habit and its aromatic foliage made of small imbricate scales. However, Cupressus occupy dry, sunny southern areas while Chamaecyparis grow in sheltered, moist, often coastal areas. Chamaecyparis are not demanding about the nature of the soil, provided it is fresh, well‑drained and not excessively calcareous. The species lawsoniana shows a strong susceptibility to the Phytophthora fungus that decimates its wild population in the United States as well as in gardens where the disease is often spread by nurseries. And although they prefer fertile, deep humus, they adapt to less favoured ground, with moderate growth and reduced luxuriance. Avoid pruning them as much as possible.

Chamaecyparis obtusa Tsatsumi Gold - Hinoki Cypress in pictures

Foliage

Plant habit

Height at maturity 90 cm

Spread at maturity 70 cm

Habit irregular, bushy

Growth rate very slow

Foliage

Foliage persistence Evergreen

Foliage colour variegated

Botanical data

Genus

Chamaecyparis

Species

obtusa

Cultivar

Tsatsumi Gold

Family

Cupressaceae

Other common names

Hinoki Cypress, Japanese Cypress, Hinoki False Cypress

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference • 6360021

Planting and care

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Tsatsumi Gold' is planted from September to November and from February to June in soil that is ordinary, rather rich and moist, but above all well drained, neutral or slightly acidic. Choose a sunny or semi-shaded location sheltered from prevailing winds. Soak the root balls well before planting. Add organic compost when planting and water generously in the first years. Apply a special conifer fertiliser every year in April and cultivate the soil in summer. It does not require pruning. However, be careful never to prune the old wood on mature plants as no new shoots will fill the gaps.

Planting period

Best planting time February to March, October to November

Recommended planting time February to June, September to November

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Rockery, Woodland edge

Type of use Border, Back of border, Free-standing, Container, Slope

Hardiness Hardy down to -23.5°C (USDA zone 6a) Show map

Ease of cultivation Amateur

Exposure Sun, Partial shade

Soil pH Acidic, Neutral

Soil type Silty-loamy (rich and light), Stony (poor and well-drained)

Soil moisture Moist soil, well-drained, humus-bearing, rich