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Chamaecyparis pisifera Filips Happy Day - Sawara Cypress

Chamaecyparis pisifera Filip's Happy Day
Sawara Cypress, Japanese false cypress

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This authentic dwarf conifer is a recent variety, full of vigour. It forms a round cushion dressed in foliage arranged in flat branchlets, with very dense growth. The tips of the young shoots are creamy white, punctuating a young foliage that is bright green and turns dark green, creating a magnificent contrast of colours. This young plant grows very slowly, not exceeding 1m (3ft 4in) in height at maturity. While perfect in rockeries and small spaces, this dwarf false cypress also adapts remarkably well to container cultivation. While not difficult to grow, it prefers a sunny or semi-shaded exposure and moist but light, well-drained, humus-rich soil.
Height at maturity
1 m
Spread at maturity
1 m
Exposure
Sun, Partial shade
Hardiness
Hardy down to -15°C
Soil moisture
Moist soil
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Best planting time February to March, September to October
Recommended planting time February to June, September to November
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Description

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filip's Happy Day', also known as Sawara Cypress, is a genuine dwarf conifer, still rare on the market. It forms a round cushion dressed in foliage arranged in flat branchlets, with very dense growth. The tips of the young shoots are creamy white, punctuating a young bright green foliage that turns emerald green, creating a magnificent contrast of colours. This plant grows very slowly, not exceeding 1m (3ft 4in) in height at maturity. While perfect in rockeries and small spaces, this dwarf false cypress also adapts remarkably well to container gardening. It is not difficult to cultivate but prefers a sunny or semi-shaded exposure and moist but light and well-drained, humus-rich soil.

 

Chamaecyparis pisifera is a robust Japanese species belonging to the cupressaceae family, which can reach 45m (147ft 7in) in its natural state. It is mainly used, for its yellow lemon rot-resistant wood, in the making of lacquered furniture and for the construction of numerous buildings such as palaces in its country of origin. It has given rise to numerous cultivars, classified into four groups, including the 'Plumosa' cultivars, with feathery branchlets.

The Filip's Happy Day variety was obtained in 2006 from a seedling of Chamaecyparis Plumosa Compressa with undisputed qualities. After many years, it will probably form a beautiful rounded bush, not exceeding 1m (3ft 4in) in all directions. It grows very slowly, from 1 to 3cm (0.4 to 1.2in) per year. At the age of 10, it will measure approximately 90cm (35.4in) in all directions. Its branches bear very tight branchlets arranged in a 'plume' shape. When they appear in autumn, the juvenile branchlets are fresh green, white at their tips, emerging from a scaly and pointed adult foliage which is shiny emerald green. The undersides of these leaves show a white band, corresponding to a row of stomata (the 'pores' on the plant's epidermis). Its barely visible bark is dark red and filamentous in appearance.

 

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filip's Happy Day' is a small conifer that should be highlighted in a small garden, rockery, or a container on the terrace. With its very slow growth and round silhouette, which requires no pruning, it will work wonders alongside other evergreen plants or small perennials. It pairs well with columnar, pyramidal, or narrow conical-shaped species. In a gravel garden, light grey gravel or brown mulch can be placed at its base. The architectural qualities of dwarf conifers naturally impose themselves in the design of a contemporary garden, which prefers the aesthetics of shapes, silhouettes, and textures over flowers. These plants, structurally enhance a flower bed, mark pathways, border the terrace, easily replacing the strong presence of trimmed boxwood or holly. They serve as a backdrop for tousled grasses, whose form is so complementary. They can also be associated with ground-covering plants such as aubrietas and ceraistes, as well as flowering shrubs. The key is to play with volumes and colours.

Chamaecyparis pisifera Filips Happy Day - Sawara Cypress in pictures

Chamaecyparis pisifera Filips Happy Day - Sawara Cypress (Foliage) Foliage
Chamaecyparis pisifera Filips Happy Day - Sawara Cypress (Plant habit) Plant habit

Plant habit

Height at maturity 1 m
Spread at maturity 1 m
Habit conical, pyramidal
Growth rate very slow

Flowering

Flower colour insignificant

Foliage

Foliage persistence Evergreen
Foliage colour variegated

Botanical data

Genus

Chamaecyparis

Species

pisifera

Cultivar

Filip's Happy Day

Family

Cupressaceae

Other common names

Sawara Cypress, Japanese false cypress

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Product reference6410021

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Planting and care

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filip's Happy Day' is planted from September to November and from February to June in fertile and moist, well-drained soil which is light, neutral or slightly acidic. A humus-rich soil or an ericaceous soil will be perfectly suitable. Choose a sunny or semi-shaded location, sheltered from prevailing winds. Soak the root ball well before planting. Add organic fertilizer at planting and water generously in the first years. Apply a special conifer fertilizer every year in April and weed the soil in summer. This variety does not tolerate dry and very hot summers and overly dry atmospheres. It does not require pruning.

Planting period

Best planting time February to March, September to October
Recommended planting time February to June, September to November

Intended location

Suitable for Meadow, Rockery, Woodland edge
Type of use Border, Edge of border, Free-standing, Container, Slope
Hardiness Hardy down to -15°C (USDA zone 7b) Show map
Ease of cultivation Amateur
Planting density 1 per m2
Exposure Sun, Partial shade
Soil pH Any
Soil type Silty-loamy (rich and light), Stony (poor and well-drained)
Soil moisture Moist soil, well-drained, humus-bearing

Care

Pruning No pruning necessary
Soil moisture Moist soil
Disease resistance Very good
Overwinter Can be left in the ground

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