Conifer
Carolina Sapphire
Cupressus arizonica
A fast-growing Arizona Cypress selection prized for its vivid silvery-blue, finely textured foliage that releases a pleasant fragrance when crushed. As a heat- and drought-tolerant Southern native relative, it is a dependable, quick-establishing evergreen for screening and specimen use in hot climates, combining strong color with tough constitution.
Growing Specifications
- Height
- Fast-growing, larger-scale form at maturity
- Spread
- Variable with age and site conditions
- Watering
- Low to Moderate; well adapted to typical rainfall once established, tolerant of dry spells
- Light
- Full Sun
- Heat Tolerance
- Elite; Arizona Cypress is exceptionally well adapted to hot, dry Southern conditions
- Growth Rate
- Fast
- Soil Requirement
- Highly adaptable, including poor, rocky, or alkaline soils; requires good drainage
North Texas Micro-climate Notes
As an Arizona Cypress selection, this specimen is exceptionally well adapted to North Texas heat, alkaline clay, and drought once established, requiring comparatively little special site preparation compared to many of the collection's more sensitive conifers.
Care Instructions
Plant in well-draining soil; avoid heavy, poorly-drained sites. Water regularly during the first growing season to establish roots, then reduce to occasional deep watering during extended drought.
Landscape Usage
Effective as a fast-growing privacy screen, windbreak component, or vivid blue specimen tree for open, sunny planting sites.
