Cupressocyparis Castlewellan Gold - Leyland Cypress

The Cupressocyparis leylandii 'Castlewellan Gold' is a variant of this large hedge conifer with slightly golden foliage that is better known as the Leyland Cypress. Its growth can be controlled by pruning, which is well tolerated, making it easy to use in an evergreen hedge. Undemanding and hardy, it adapts to fairly poor, chalk, clayey soils, pollution, salt spray, and misty conditions. However, rocky soils and the very dry climate of the Mediterranean should be avoided. Depending on your budget, the length of your hedge, your patience, and the time you can dedicate to gardening, different types of products are available to you.

- For an economical Leyland Cypress hedge, opt for 9cm pots that you can plant all year round. Soil preparation should be meticulous (thorough weeding, removal of all roots, planting trench), and it is advisable to lay a weed suppressant at the base of the shrubs to limit the germination of weeds while they establish themselves. Once established, they grow quickly and will soon catch up with their counterparts grown in bigger pots. This is the most economical solution for creating a hedge of at least 10m (32.8ft) in length.

- For a fast-growing Leyland Cypress hedge or to fill in an existing hedge, your choice will be shrubs in 3-litre pots. Shrubs in pots can be planted all year round, except during freezing or hot periods. They are planted in individual planting holes, like all other shrubs in the garden. While they have an immediate impact, they take a little longer to establish and will require more frequent and regular watering, especially when the summer is dry.

Respect the proper planting distance depending on the size of your plant! Generally, it is advisable to allow a space of 60cm (23.6in) between each plant for shrubs in pots, 70 to 80cm (27.6 to 31.5in) for plants in 2 or 3-litre pots, 80 cm (31.5in) to 1m (3.3ft) for pots from 4 to 10 litres, and 1m (3.3ft) to 1.2m (3.9ft) for pots larger than 10 litres. For Leyland Cypress, given its rapid growth and size at maturity, it is preferable to allow a spacing of 1m (3.3ft) between each plant in pots, up to 2m (6.6ft) for shrubs grown in large pots.

The (x) Cupressocyparis leylandii is a spontaneous hybrid between the Cupressus macrocarpa, the Lambert or Monterey Cypress, native to the forests bordering the central California coast, and the Chamaecyparis nootkatensis, the Nootka False Cypress, native to the northern part of the western coast of North America. These two hardy conifers, with their large growth and accommodating nature, appreciate rather humid climates. Both belong to the Cupressaceae family.

The 'Castlewellan Gold' cultivar (also known as Castlewellan or Galway Gold), introduced in 1962 in Northern Ireland, differs from the classic Leyland Cypress mainly in the colouration of its foliage. It is the result of a cross with the Monterey Cypress 'Lutea', which has golden foliage.

Its growth is very fast after an establishment period. The 'Castlewellan Gold' cypress grows about 80cm (31.5in) to 1m (3.3ft) per year, reaching an average height of 20m (65.6ft) with a width of 6 to 7m (19.7 to 23ft) if not pruned. Regular pruning (twice a year) will be necessary if you want to maintain it at a height of 2 to 3m (6.6 to 9.8ft) in a conventional hedge. This conifer has a naturally regular, pyramidal, and dense habit. Its flexible and slightly upright branches are adorned with fairly coarse foliage when observed up close, with an aromatic scent when crushed. Its smell is slightly acidic. Its small, blunt, triangular leaves are imbricate on short cylindrical branchlets, which are themselves located on branches. The young shoots are variegated with yellow and gold in spring, then turn green in summer. The autumn foliage is a mixture of gold and green, while it turns to a golden bronze colour in winter due to the cold.

This conifer produces pollen that can cause allergies in some people in early spring. The female cones are rounded and green, turning brown when mature. The reddish-brown bark becomes greyish with age. This tree develops a taproot, allowing it to anchor very deeply in the soil to draw water and nutrients and resist even strong winds. Its hardiness is excellent, around -20°C (-4°F).

The Castlewellan Leyland Cypress, with its brighter colour, breaks the monotony of an unvaried, green landscape throughout the year. It is perfect in a boundary hedge that will protect the garden, at the edge of the countryside or by the sea. A boon for urban gardens or very windy seaside gardens, often planted in housing estates, this cypress provides a permanent landscape all year round while working well as a privacy screen. If left to grow freely, it will become a majestic pyramid within a few years. While it forms beautiful evergreen screens, this Leyland Cypress can also be placed as a specimen tree or mixed with other large shrubs in a hedge that will promote biodiversity in the garden. Placed as a specimen in a large garden, it is a magnificent tree. Like many conifers, it fits into gardens of all styles, whether contemporary, wild, countryside, or English.