Dwarf Hinoki cypress
Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Gracilis' · Cupressaceae Popular
A slow, irregular pyramid of dark, glossy, shell-shaped sprays of foliage, each one curved like a cupped hand. The most sculptural dwarf conifer.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 3½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Flowers
- Grown for its leaves
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around dwarf Hinoki cypress
The planner designed this bed around dwarf Hinoki cypress when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, part sun. It chose the other plants from the 708 that suit those conditions, and says below why dwarf Hinoki cypress stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Dwarf Hinoki cypress × 1, dark green leaves
- 2 Bloody cranesbill 'Max Frei' × 7, pink
- 3 Green-and-gold × 11, yellow
- 4 Swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet' × 3, white
- 5 Northern sea oats 'River Mist' × 3, green
- 6 Obedient plant 'Miss Manners' × 3, white
- 7 Asiatic lily × 2, orange
- 8 Checkered lily × 12, purple
Why this plant
- The only plant grown for its leaves. Leaf lasts all season, where a flower lasts a few weeks.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does northern sea oats 'River Mist'.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to northern sea oats 'River Mist' (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- Here for its leaves, all year. They cover the 17 weeks between early March and late November when nothing on the plan is in flower.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Swamp milkweed 'Ice Ballet' and dwarf Hinoki cypress anchor the back corners of the bed: the tallest plants on the plan stand there. The bed is balanced: the left half carries 48% of the visual weight and the right half 52%.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 6 Good, 1 Satisfactory.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where dwarf Hinoki cypress goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
Its layered, twisting form looks ancient even when young. Use one as a focal point with low, simple planting around it, and let it grow without pruning.
- A year-round focal point
- Japanese-style gardens
- Foundation and entrance planting
What to plant with dwarf Hinoki cypress
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola': low enough (16 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Hosta 'Halcyon': bold leaves against its fine ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Coral bells: low enough (12 in) to stand in front of it.
Choosing between it and a look-alike? Dwarf Alberta spruce vs Dwarf Hinoki cypress.
Questions about dwarf Hinoki cypress
Does dwarf Hinoki cypress need sun or shade?
Dwarf Hinoki cypress grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day), part sun (4 to 6 hours of sun, including some afternoon sun) and part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does dwarf Hinoki cypress grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 8. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
How far apart should dwarf Hinoki cypress be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3½ ft (100 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many dwarf Hinoki cypress plants do I need?
At 3 ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 4 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is dwarf Hinoki cypress poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Is there a native plant like dwarf Hinoki cypress?
Dwarf Hinoki cypress comes from Formosa, Japan. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Dwarf balsam fir: the same job in a bed; belongs in the middle, not at the back, 3 ft shorter.
- Inkberry 'Shamrock': an anchor, not a specimen, 12 in shorter.
- Globe arborvitae 'Little Giant': an anchor, not a specimen, 12 in shorter.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat dwarf Hinoki cypress?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What does dwarf Hinoki cypress look like in winter?
Dwarf Hinoki cypress keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
More Chamaecyparis
- Sawara cypress 'Boulevard' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Boulevard'
- Threadleaf false cypress 'Golden Mop' Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Golden Mop'
In these guides
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 3½ ft (100 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- None: grown for its foliage
- Leaves
- Fine texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 8
- Light
- Full sun, part sun, part shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Cupressaceae
- Comes from
- Formosa, Japan
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.