Tree · North Texas care guide
Cupressus sempervirens
Nursery Pro tip: Tall, skinny exclamation point. Needs sharp drainage — no soggy clay.
The pencil-thin dark-green column of Mediterranean gardens: 30–40 ft tall and only 3–5 ft wide. Dramatic framing a gate, an entry or a pool. Drought tolerant and heat-loving, but it wants perfect drainage.
Full sun and fast-draining soil — a raised bed or a slope, never a low wet spot. Good air circulation. In heavy clay, plant high and mix expanded shale into the backfill.
Spring or fall. Set the ball 2–3 inches above grade, mound native soil plus shale up to it, Root Stimulator, and mulch lightly. Stake tall ones the first year.
Weekly the first summer, then every two to three weeks at most. Overwatering is the number-one killer — brown patches usually mean wet roots, not dry ones.
A light spring feeding at most.
None, other than tying in a wayward branch. Ice storms can splay the branches; tie them loosely with soft tape before a freeze if you're worried.
Root and crown rot in wet soil. Spider mites in a hot dry spell — hose the foliage. Bagworms in early summer. Seiridium canker causes dead branches on stressed trees; cut them out and keep it on the dry side.
Pairs of them flanking an entry, or a row 4–5 ft apart for a formal screen. Plant with rosemary, lavender, agave and Texas sage — all the same dry-soil crowd.
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.