Cypress Trees And Why You Should Have Them

Wednesday, 07 September 2016

We have just planted eight cypress trees in a wonderful garden in Bridge of Allan which we designed and built for our clients. The garden has been complete for a while apart from said trees as we were waiting on them arriving from Italy. And wow, what a difference they made when they went in. Here is why we think you should consider them in your garden and a few little known facts including trees with knees!

The cypress trees make a strong statement

The tall, pencil-like form of the cupressus sempervirens make them a wonderful addition to gardens. They provide a wonderful vertical accent to a garden as well as being a lovely nod to lazy days in Tuscany. They are an evergreen, coniferous tree so they will provide year round interest and gorgeous structure even in the heart of winter. Plant them in a sunny part of the garden and they are incredibly easy to look after. Keep them well watered for the first season in their new home, give them a good mulch in Spring and they will be pretty low maintenance thereafter.

Cypress trees add height and year round interest

Did you know:

Cypress trees are known for their longevity and typically live for hundreds of years. The oldest known cypress tree is 4000 years old!!
This very durable and scented wood was famously used for the doors of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.

View through the cypress trees

The poet Ovid recorded the best-known myth associated with the cypress. A handsome boy named Cyparissus accidentally killed one of Apollo’s beloved tame stags. The boy’s grief was so inconsolable that he asked to weep forever. Apollo transformed Cyparissus into a cypress and his endless tears became the tree’s sap.
Cypress trees are the only trees with knees. The knees are actually woody growths that sprout around the tree at a distance of several feet. The phenomenon occurs where cypress tree are standing in swampy conditions.