Italian Cypress Shrubs and Trees [Cupressus sempervirens 'Glauca']

Italian Cypress, Memorial Trees of Ancient Empires

Italian cypress trees, Cupressus sempervirens, is also called Mediterranean cypress and is found growing as a native tree extensively in Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Turkey, and Syria. Italian cypress plants were brought to Italy by the Romans from conquered provinces in the Eastern Mediterranean two thousand years ago. The Italian (Roman) Emperors planted the trees as sacred plants near palaces and monuments. Some of the original Italian cypress trees still draw crowds at Rome, Italy; their age estimated to be 1800 years old and 40 feet tall. The Italian cypress, Cupressus sempervirens, is an evergreen conifer densely branched with a columnar form and a triangular, cone-shaped peak. The compact, dense blue-green leaves are often planted in lines as a property privacy screen. In the United States, Italian cypress trees' evergreen characteristic makes it a popular tree to plant as shrubs (when young) to grow into huge towering specimens in the garden landscape.

Italian cypress trees are commonly planted in pots near patios and perhaps most commonly planted as memorial trees in cemeteries or memorial gardens. The dense blue-green leaves are fragrant and perfect for shearing into shapely topiary trees for formal gardens or landscapes. The Italian cypress tree, Cupressus sempervirens, grows well in many areas of the United States and will tolerate cold temperatures of 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The full sun growth rate of the Italian cypress is very slow, and thus, trees or shrubs of Italian cypress are very expensive and larger trees offered by some plant nurseries are out of reach to buy by most gardeners. The pleasant scent of the Italian cypress leaves is also present in the wood of the tree, and the ancient Egyptians made coffins from the aromatic cypress wood. The Basilica of St. Peter boasts gigantic wooden doors of the fragrant Italian cypress wood at the entrance.

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