About
The Cryptomeria japonica Elegans Group encompasses a range of conifers, featuring both medium-sized trees and compact varieties. These plants maintain their soft, juvenile foliage, providing a unique texture to garden landscapes. They are all evergreen, with several displaying golden or red-bronze hues during the winter months.
About the genus
Cryptomeria are substantial evergreen trees characterized by their reddish-brown bark and thick foliage made up of short, awl-shaped leaves that spiral around the branchlets. The cones produced by these trees are round in shape.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H6
Plant details
- Plant type
- Conifers
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 8-12 metres
- Spread
- 2.5-4 metres
- Time to full height
- 10-20 years
- Suggested uses
- Architectural, City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Most cultivars tolerate a range of soils, but prefer a humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. Most need shelter from cold, drying winds and dislike waterlogging. See individual cultivars for specific requirements
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer or early autumn
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to phytophthora root rot and honey fungus (rarely)