Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard' / Boulevard sawara cypress

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard' is among the most popular and widely planted trees in the nursery trade. It is a silvery blue, slow-growing bushy selection of sawara cypress with large, distinctive, 0.3 inch (5 - 6 mm) long juvenile leaves that are awl-shaped and soft to the touch. Over time, a plant will become broadly conical, approaching mature dimensions of 3 to 4 feet (1 - 1.3 m) tall and 3 feet (1 m) wide, a rate of growth of 3 to 4 inches (7.5 - 10 cm) per year.

The plant performs best when grown in rich well-irrigated soil and when regularly sheared. When neglected or dryer than it prefers, a tree will respond by browning and dropping inner foliage and assuming a duller color.

This cultivar originated in 1934 as a sport on a specimen of Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Squarrosa' and was introduced to the nursery trade by Mike Kempenaar of Boulevard Nurseries, Middletown, Rhode Island, USA.

Attribution from: Aris Auders & Derrick Spicer; RHS Encyclopedia of Conifers; ©2012, Kingsblue Press

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard' A popular garden stand-by with soft, plumy, silver-blue foliage and a very full, pyramidal habit. Originated as a sport on Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Squarrosa'.
Photo by Iseli Nursery, Inc.
Chamaecyparis pisifera "Boulevard' — a closeup of foliage detail.
Photo by Sandra McLean Cutler
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard' Photo copyright of The Wildlife & Conifer Garden Donated by Don and Nonda Surrat, Ohio, USA.
Photo by Nonda Surratt
Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard' — photo from August 2013 in the Lyle Littlefield trial gardens Orono Maine. This is what to expect in fifty years.
Photo by Don Levesque
A nice comparison of differences in branch detail between 'Squarrosa' (the parent) and 'Boulevard' (the sport).
Photo by Patrick Breen, ©2016, Oregon State University

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