Smooth Arizona cypress (C. arizonica var. glabra) is a narrowly conical tree with blue-gray foliage and white resin flecks on the undersides. Height and spread: 10 x 3 feet (3 x 1 m) after 10 years, ultimately up to 66 feet (20 m) tall.
Blue ice has silvery blue foliage. Conica has glaucous blue foliage carried on plentiful, but loosely arranged, branchlets. Pyramidalis has blue-gray foliage borne on dense branches. This narrow conical tree comes into its own in mid to late winter, when it is covered in a profusion of bright yellow male flowers.
Vigorous growth and a marked broadening with age makes Monterey cypress (C. macrocarpa) too large for most gardens, but excellent cultivars have been developed from it. Height and spread: 50 x 10 feet (15 x 3 m) after 10 years, ultimately 80 feet (25 m) tall.
Donard gold is a columnar tree with deep yellow foliage. Mature trees reach a height of 50 feet (15 m) and tend to lean. Gold spread, up to 3 feet (1 m) tall, is a wide-spreading ground-cover plant forming a superb golden carpet. It is not suitable for cold gardens. Goldcrest is a narrow, conical tree growing to 50 feet (15 m) tall with rich golden yellow foliage.
The narrow, upright Italian cypress (C. sempervirens) carries erect sprays of dark green leaves. Height and spread: 6 feet x 20 inches (2 m x 50 cm) after 10 years, ultimately 100 feet (30 m) tall.
Green spire (green pencil) has bright green foliage. It is a hardy tree, very slender and tapering to a sharp point. Swane's gold has golden foliage. It is a compact columnar tree, up to 13 feet (4 m) tall, better suited to small gardens and containers. It is tender, however, so avoid cold, windy and frosty sites.
The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc./GID
Smooth Arizona cypresses have white resin flecks underneath the leaves.
