Chamaecyparis lawsoniana'Ellwoodii' is a staple of the nursery industry, a familiar, neat cone of bluish green juvenile foliage when young. It is also a good example of what becomes of a nice dwarf conifer if overzealously propagated. By taking only the strongest cuttings for propagation, the plants grown now are much more vigorous than originally intended. Plants grown in the 1920s would only grow to heights of 3 feet (1 m) or so after 25 years, all the while maintaining tight juvenile foliage. Now it's typical to see plants reaching heights of 4.5 feet (1.5 m) after only 10 years on to unbelievable dimensions of 15 feet (5 m) or more after 10 years with foliage coming close to adult form.
This cultivar originated as a self-sown seedling selected in 1915 by G. Ellwood, then chief gardener at Swanmore Park, Hampshire, United Kingdom.
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Ellwoodii' — a mature specimen that's maintaining it's intended look.
Photo by Bill Barger
Comments
Sharon Plow
I love my new "tree". It's really beautiful. My daughter got it for me yesterday. I don't know how to care for it. I live just below Baton Rouge. Any ideas?
Web Editor
Sharon these are native to the Pacific Northwest, where the summers are drier and cooler than your and the winters are colder. Give it good drainage and try not to crowd it when you plant it as your moist summer air will mean that it needs good air circulation. This species is very susceptible to a water mold disease caused by a member of the genus Phytophthora and unless your plant was grafted onto disease-resistant rootstock it will likely be fairly short-lived. :-(
Zina Williams
I love my trees I had to go back and get a 2nd tree. They are so.... beautiful
Bob Smith
Are these a form of Port Orford Cedar?
How Is it related?
Maxwell Cohn
definitely ... 'Elwoodii' is a dwarf cultivar or Lawson cypress (also known as Port Orford cedar, even though it's not even closely related to cedars). It is related to the Lawson cypress trees that grow in forests in southern Oregon, in the same way that a dwarf human will be related to typical people.
Another is example is to consider how a pug is related to a natural, wild African dog.
Bob Smith
Thanks Maxwell.
I grew up in central Texas, We had eastern red cedar....aka Juniperus virginiana. I then moved to western Washington, On the 3rd day here, I took a hike, passed a tree, it snapped in my brain ... 100 feet later, that was a cedar tree, due to bark, I backed up .... yep, tagged western red cedar ... found out later Thuja plicata.
So just like the Elwoodii, neither of these two (eastern and western) are TRUE CEDARS.
I thought so, but wanted to verify----Good Day to you-----Bob
Maxwell Cohn
You're welcome Bob ... you've stumbled onto one of the more frustrating realities of being a Conehead — that common names for plants are often meaningless and misleading. Fortunately you've come to the right place. One of the essential tasks of the American Conifer Society is that of clarifying nomenclature.
you're correct Juniperus virginiana is not a cedar. It's a juniper and should more properly called eastern juniper. Thuja plicata is not a cedar either. It's an arborvitae and should probably best be called western arborvitae. As you continue exploring the northwest, you'll encounter Nootka cypress (Cupressus nootkatensis). A lot of folks call that one yellow cedar.
One of the common names for Thuja occidentalis (eastern arborvitae) is eastern white cedar. It's not a cedar either. Then there's Chamaecyparis thyoides (Atlantic white cypress). Locals in the southeast call that one Atlantic white cedar.
Although I've never seen it written anywhere, I get the idea that early explorers looking at plants called everything with aromatic wood a cedar. In reality cedar is solely reserved as a common name for plants in the Cedrus genus. There are no native cedars in the United States.
Cathryn Moskow
Someone just gave me a sweet 10” Elwoodii cypress which grows to about 4.5f in first 10 years. Before I plant it -Which creatures native to Rhode Island ecozone (59e) does this tree support? Thanks!
Mary Capek
I recently was gifted 6 of these beautiful trees. Left at my home by a stranger. They are in small grow pots and are about 24” tall. I am in the northeast and the morning temps are approaching freezing. I googled for info and it says March is ideal
For planting. Can they be left in pots to over winter?
Reyd
You can bury the pots in the ground. But if the ground is not frozen yet, you can plant, it does not matter if the 1st freeze is tomorrow, planting asap is almost always the best choice. Otherwise you can overwinter inside an unheated shed or garage.
K
what fertilizer is best for this tree/shrub? liquid, granular, acidic? also, are these susceptible to insects? thanks
Marilyn Broadbent
My daughter recently bought the Elmwood in for me as a little gift from the grocery store. The foliage is green but feels brittle. Is this normal? Thankyou
Rosemary Lawver
I bought this little Chamaecyparis Ellwoodi at the drug store before Christmas. I thought it was so sweet. I water it once a week, waiting till it's dry. It seems to be happy with where I put it. It gets indirect sunlight from my dining room window. It says to fertilize 2x a month. But it didn't say what type of fertilizer. Can you tell me what kind to buy? And when I should transplant to a bigger pot? Can I keep it in a pot? Thanks for your help.
Myndee Ryan
I was just given an Ellwoodii that someone received for Christmas. It isn't in the best condition. Thought maybe some fertilizer might help. It's been in her south window so it's getting plenty of sunshine and she has been watering it but something is not right. It's a little brittle so I'm really hoping it's not too late for it. What do you suggest?
Comments
I love my new "tree". It's really beautiful. My daughter got it for me yesterday. I don't know how to care for it. I live just below Baton Rouge. Any ideas?
Sharon these are native to the Pacific Northwest, where the summers are drier and cooler than your and the winters are colder. Give it good drainage and try not to crowd it when you plant it as your moist summer air will mean that it needs good air circulation. This species is very susceptible to a water mold disease caused by a member of the genus Phytophthora and unless your plant was grafted onto disease-resistant rootstock it will likely be fairly short-lived. :-(
I love my trees I had to go back and get a 2nd tree. They are so.... beautiful
Are these a form of Port Orford Cedar?
How Is it related?
definitely ... 'Elwoodii' is a dwarf cultivar or Lawson cypress (also known as Port Orford cedar, even though it's not even closely related to cedars). It is related to the Lawson cypress trees that grow in forests in southern Oregon, in the same way that a dwarf human will be related to typical people.
Another is example is to consider how a pug is related to a natural, wild African dog.
Thanks Maxwell.
I grew up in central Texas, We had eastern red cedar....aka Juniperus virginiana. I then moved to western Washington, On the 3rd day here, I took a hike, passed a tree, it snapped in my brain ... 100 feet later, that was a cedar tree, due to bark, I backed up .... yep, tagged western red cedar ... found out later Thuja plicata.
So just like the Elwoodii, neither of these two (eastern and western) are TRUE CEDARS.
I thought so, but wanted to verify----Good Day to you-----Bob
You're welcome Bob ... you've stumbled onto one of the more frustrating realities of being a Conehead — that common names for plants are often meaningless and misleading. Fortunately you've come to the right place. One of the essential tasks of the American Conifer Society is that of clarifying nomenclature.
you're correct Juniperus virginiana is not a cedar. It's a juniper and should more properly called eastern juniper. Thuja plicata is not a cedar either. It's an arborvitae and should probably best be called western arborvitae. As you continue exploring the northwest, you'll encounter Nootka cypress (Cupressus nootkatensis). A lot of folks call that one yellow cedar.
One of the common names for Thuja occidentalis (eastern arborvitae) is eastern white cedar. It's not a cedar either. Then there's Chamaecyparis thyoides (Atlantic white cypress). Locals in the southeast call that one Atlantic white cedar.
Although I've never seen it written anywhere, I get the idea that early explorers looking at plants called everything with aromatic wood a cedar. In reality cedar is solely reserved as a common name for plants in the Cedrus genus. There are no native cedars in the United States.
Someone just gave me a sweet 10” Elwoodii cypress which grows to about 4.5f in first 10 years. Before I plant it -Which creatures native to Rhode Island ecozone (59e) does this tree support? Thanks!
I recently was gifted 6 of these beautiful trees. Left at my home by a stranger. They are in small grow pots and are about 24” tall. I am in the northeast and the morning temps are approaching freezing. I googled for info and it says March is ideal
For planting. Can they be left in pots to over winter?
You can bury the pots in the ground. But if the ground is not frozen yet, you can plant, it does not matter if the 1st freeze is tomorrow, planting asap is almost always the best choice. Otherwise you can overwinter inside an unheated shed or garage.
what fertilizer is best for this tree/shrub? liquid, granular, acidic? also, are these susceptible to insects? thanks
My daughter recently bought the Elmwood in for me as a little gift from the grocery store. The foliage is green but feels brittle. Is this normal? Thankyou
I bought this little Chamaecyparis Ellwoodi at the drug store before Christmas. I thought it was so sweet. I water it once a week, waiting till it's dry. It seems to be happy with where I put it. It gets indirect sunlight from my dining room window. It says to fertilize 2x a month. But it didn't say what type of fertilizer. Can you tell me what kind to buy? And when I should transplant to a bigger pot? Can I keep it in a pot? Thanks for your help.
I was just given an Ellwoodii that someone received for Christmas. It isn't in the best condition. Thought maybe some fertilizer might help. It's been in her south window so it's getting plenty of sunshine and she has been watering it but something is not right. It's a little brittle so I'm really hoping it's not too late for it. What do you suggest?