Illustration
Italian Cypress
Cupressus sempervirens
Italian Cypress is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Italian Cypress
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 7–10. Expect it to reach about 39 ft tall and 3.5 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 15 years (not yet checked).
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not, and each fact above says which. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Italian Cypress
Plant Italian Cypress in spring once the soil is workable, or by very early fall at the latest: an evergreen needs its roots down well before the ground freezes. In zone 8, the middle of its hardy zones 7 to 10, that is February to April, or September on the fall side.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 8, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 8 in February. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Italian Cypress get?
39 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult3.5 ftwideSee Italian Cypress in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Italian Cypress
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Italian Cypress about 3.5 ft apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Italian Cypress to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Italian Cypress' height, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags were checked against 5 published sources on July 29, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- NC State ExtensionPlant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- conifersociety.orgAmerican Conifer Society conifer databaseheight, hardiness zones and trait tags
- Oregon State UniversityLandscape Plantshardiness zones, sun and trait tags
- public.asu.eduArizona State University, Virtual Library of Phoenix Landscape Plantsheight, hardiness zones and sun
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Comes in 3 varieties
Same plant, same care - pick the variety you are growing.
Compare every variety in the Italian Cypress group
Every figure is the variety's own page fact. Tap a name to open it.
| Variety | Color | Blooms | Hardiness | Sun | Size (H × W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 7–10 | Full sun | 39 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Italianthis page | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 7–10 | Full sun | 39 ft × 3.5 ft |
| Swane's Gold | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 7–10 | Full sun | 13 ft × 2.5 ft |
| Tiny Tower | Foliage | Foliage plant | Zones 7–10 | Full sun | 13 ft × 2.5 ft |
Good to know about Italian Cypress
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note. A note reports what its source says; where that differs from a fact above, the fact above is this entry's stored value, and its mark says whether it has been checked.
Worth knowing
Its three worst problems, canker, bark beetles and spider mites, all pounce on a stressed tree. Keep it unstressed and you fend off all three at once. per University of Maryland and University of Arizona
When to prune
It holds its narrow column unaided, so skip routine shearing; every cut is a canker entry point. Only prune to cut out canker-flagged branches, disinfecting tools between cuts. per NC State and University of Maryland
Dry, but never stressed
Established trees want low water and hate wet roots. But do not let one bake into severe drought or heat, which invites canker. Water deeply but rarely in real drought. per NC State and University of Arizona
Cypress canker has no cure
Highly susceptible to Seiridium canker: branches fade green to yellow to reddish-brown from sunken, resin-oozing cankers. No fungicide cures it, so cut out flagged branches and reduce stress. per West Virginia University and University of Arizona
Spider mites, the top pest
Spider mites are its most common pest. They bronze and stipple foliage, peak in spring and fall, and flare on hot, dry, dusty, stressed trees. Horticultural oil helps. per UC IPM and UGA
Wet soil brings root rot
Its one non-negotiable is sharp drainage. In wet, poorly drained soil, Phytophthora and other root rots set in, mainly on young or stressed trees, and there is no cure. per Penn State and NC State
Not a listed pet poison
Generally treated as non-toxic: it is absent from the ASPCA pet-poison list and carries no toxicity flag, though the foliage is not edible. per ASPCA
What pairs well with Italian Cypress
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
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Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.