Tree · North Texas care guide
Cupressus arizonica 'Blue Ice'
Nursery Pro tip: Our best drought-proof evergreen screen. Needs drainage — mound it on heavy clay and skip the sprinkler once it's rooted in.
A fast, drought-proof evergreen with striking silver-blue foliage — 'Blue Ice' and 'Carolina Sapphire' are the two you'll see here. 25–40 ft tall, pyramidal, aromatic, and it grows two to three feet a year. The best fast privacy screen for a hot, dry site.
Full sun and good drainage — it comes from the desert Southwest and rots in soggy clay. Plant on a slope, a raised berm, or mix expanded shale into the bed. Room to reach 12–20 ft wide.
Fall or spring. Set the ball 2 inches above grade, mound native soil with shale up to it, Root Stimulator, light mulch. Stake the first year in an open windy spot.
Weekly the first summer, then every two to three weeks at most. Once established, drought and heat are not a problem; wet feet are.
Not needed.
Rarely. Shear lightly in early summer for density; don't cut into bare wood. Remove any competing leaders while young.
Root rot in poorly drained soil (the usual cause of a screen that dies one tree at a time). Bagworms in early summer. Seiridium canker on stressed trees — cut out affected branches.
Privacy screen 8–10 ft apart, alternated with eastern red cedar for a two-tone row, or as a blue accent behind Gulf muhly, Texas sage and yucca.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.