Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Laxa' / Laxa Hinoki cypress

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Laxa' is a miniature, cushion-shaped selection of Hinoki cypress with clumpy, tufted branching, and dark green, tiny sprays of foliage. After 10 years of growth, a mature specimen will measure 12 inches (30 cm) tall and 18 inches (45 cm) wide, an annual growth rate of 1 inch (2.5 cm) or less.

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.

Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Laxa' — a well-grown specimen seen in Trompenburg Arboretum, The Netherlands.
Photo by Tropenburg Arboretum

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