Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Caespitosa' / tufting Hinoki cypress

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Caespitosa' is a diminutive, cushion-shaped selection of Hinoki cypress with dense, tight branching and congested, bright green foliage. It is one of the slowest-growing conifers anywhere. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will only measure 6 inches (15 cm) tall and 8 inches (20 cm) wide, an annual growth rate of well less than 1 inch (2.5 cm).

This cultivar was one of several miniature Hinoki seedlings grown and selected around 1910 by George Gardiner, former nursery foreman at R.H. Rogers & Sons Red Lodge Nursery of Chandler Ford, United Kingdom. Red Lodge began introducing these "tennis ball" seedlings in the early 1920s. They are excellent choices for rock gardens and trough/container culture.