Ornamental conifers are often used as elements of landscape design in large and small gardens, and one of the most beautiful representatives of this group is the Cypress pea boulevard (Chamaecyparis pisifera Boulevard). The plant has a strong immunity and attractive appearance, and it is quite easy to care for it. How to grow it in our conditions is described in the material.

Botanical description of the plant

Some people mistakenly believe that cypress and cypress are the same tree. But the latter in the natural environment is found only in Japan, although it can be grown in the climatic conditions of European countries.

Did you know? The longest needles grow on the branches of bog pine, which is common in North America. The length of each needle of this tree is about 40 cm.

Boulevard Botanical Description:

1. Evergreen cypress resembles a small tree or shrub. Its height is 3-5 m, and the crown has a diameter of up to 1.2 m.
2. The trunk and branches of the tree are covered with brown bark, which has a reddish tint. The lower shoots of the bush grow almost at the same level with the surface of the earth.
3. The shrub grows slowly - during the growth process, it annually grows by only 10 cm. A ten-year-old tree usually has a height of about 2 m.
4. The crown is symmetrical, has a pin-shaped or conical shape. The edges of the branches are slightly raised, and the top is as if smoothed.
5. The shoots are covered with soft and thick needles, which are slightly bent inward. It has the shape of an awl, with pointed edges and reaches a length of 5-6 mm.
6. In summer, the crown is painted silver with a blue tint, and in winter it becomes gray-blue.
7. The fruit is a round bump, similar in appearance to peas. Its maximum diameter is about 8 mm.
8. The average life span of a tree, provided good care, is 15–20 years.

Origin of name

Cypress Boulevard (sometimes also called Bolivar or Boulevard) was bred at the beginning of the twentieth century. The new variety appeared as a result of a mutation of the cypress Scarroz (Squarrosa) and first went on sale in 1934. At first, seedlings of this tree could be bought only in the Canadian nursery "Boulevard" (Kempenaar), so the new variety soon received the eponymous name Boulevard.

Landing

Cultivation of such a cypress in a summer cottage begins with the selection of a suitable place and the purchase of quality seedlings. But besides this, you need to know the optimal timing of planting a tree in open ground, as well as the rules for preparing the soil and planting pits for seedlings. The landing procedure itself is not complicated, but requires the precise execution of a certain sequence of actions.

Did you know? The oldest tree on the planet is Methuselah pine, growing in the White Mountains of the United States. Her age is more than 4845 years!

Landing time

An adult cypress can tolerate low air temperatures well, but young seedlings can die even from slight hypothermia. Therefore, the Boulevard is recommended to be planted on the site in early spring, immediately after the soil has warmed enough. At the same time, the seedling will quickly take root in a new place and begin to grow actively under the rays of the spring sun.

Site selection and preparation

Cypress pea Boulevard is recommended to be grown in areas with a humid and warm climate. During the summer, the tree should receive about 400 mm of rain, and too dry air can adversely affect the decorative appearance of the crown of the plant.

Important! When planting several trees, the distance between adjacent landing pits should be at least 1 m.

The Boulevard landing site must meet the following requirements:

• sufficient sunshine - light is necessary for the rich color of needles, but the cypress can grow in slightly shaded places;
• being on the south or west side of the fences and buildings - provides the tree with a sufficient amount of solar heat;
• the absence of groundwater, which lies close to the soil surface - in the flooded areas, the roots of the bush will rot;
• protection from strong winds - under the influence of cold air flows, the cypress is often sick, and its shoots may break;
• fertile, drained land of a neutral or strongly alkaline reaction - such soil passes water and solar heat well to the roots;
• the absence of nearby tall trees - they can obscure the cypress, as well as draw moisture and nutrients from the soil.

It is necessary to prepare the selected site for planting a seedling since the autumn. To do this, perform the following actions:

1. Dig a landing pit 90 cm deep and about 60 cm in diameter.
2. Mix the soil obtained by digging with humus, peat and sand in a ratio of 2: 3: 1: 2.
3. Put broken brick or pebbles as drainage at the bottom of the pit. The layer thickness should be about 20 cm.
4. To fill up the deepening with nutritious soil mixture. Cover the pit with a film, leaving it in this form until spring.

Preparing planting material

The selection of planting material is key when growing Boulevard. Weak or dried seedlings will not be able to take root even on a site with ideal conditions, so when buying young trees you need to pay attention to their appearance.

Important! To make it easier for the tree to take root in the open ground, it is treated with a growth stimulator (for example, “Kornevin”) before planting.

The main signs of a healthy and high-quality planting material:

• closed root system;
• dense and moderately moist earthen lump around the roots of the cypress;
• flexible shoots, without broken or dry patches;
• smooth bark without damage or traces of defeat by diseases and pests;
• dry needles with uniform gray-blue color.

To guarantee quality, it is recommended to buy Boulevard seedlings only in specialized nurseries.

Planting a seedling

After selecting and properly preparing the site for growing cypress, you can proceed to the direct planting of a seedling in the soil. In this case, the plant must be handled carefully, keeping an earthen lump around the roots.

The Boulevard landing algorithm is as follows:

1. Extract part of the nutrient mixture from the landing pit harvested in the fall.
2. Immerse the roots of the cypress in the recess along with an earthen lump. In this case, the root neck of the seedling should be at a height of about 15–20 cm from the surface of the earth.
3. To the top fill the planting pit with the remaining fertile, loose substrate. Tamp a little with his hands around the seedling.
4. If the ground is dry, then water the young tree with a small amount of warm water. Install a vertical support nearby and tie a cypress to it.
5. Mulch the earth around the seedling with dry chips or peat.

Video: cypress landing

Care

Caring for the cypress Boulevard does not require much time and effort from the gardener. If you select a suitable place for growing and the correct implementation of the planting algorithm, the tree will grow well in the suburban area, with virtually no maintenance. But in order for the Boulevard needles to maintain a beautiful color and remain lush, it is necessary to provide the tree with sufficient moisture and nutrients, as well as properly process the soil around the trunk. The decorative appearance of the crown is maintained by regular pruning of shoots, and a shelter is built for Boulevard in the winter.

Important! The first time fertilizers are applied 3 months after planting a cypress, using a concentration of 2 times less than for adult specimens.

Watering and feeding

A tree of this variety reacts negatively to drought and heat, therefore, in the absence of rain, additional watering is mandatory. It is equally important to feed the Boulevard in time with nutrients so that it maintains a decorative appearance and develops normally.

The basic rules for watering and fertilizing are:

• frequency of watering in a temperate climate - 1 time in 7 days, and in hot and dry weather - 2-3 times a week;
• water consumption per adult tree is at least 10 l;
• in the early morning or late afternoon it is recommended to sprinkle the crown using an irrigation hose or an ordinary garden watering can for irrigation - this procedure improves the appearance of the needles and helps the cypress survive the heat;
• frequency of feeding for adult plants - 1 time in 2 weeks from spring to mid-July;
• at the end of March, the Boulevard is fertilized with a complex fertilizer (for example, Kemira), scattering 100-150 g of substance in the region of the near-trunk circle;
• in mid-April and early May, each tree is fed 30–40 g of Nitroammofoski;
• at the end of spring and in the first month of summer, periodically add peat, scattering it with a thin layer around the bush;
• after this, it is not necessary to feed the cypress so that the tree can prepare for wintering.

Loosening and mulching

To facilitate the access of air and water to the roots of the tree, you need to remove the dense earthen crust around the trunk using surface loosening of the soil. This procedure is carried out after each watering, combining it with the removal of weeds. To keep the earth moist and loose longer, the area of ​​the trunk circle is mulched with peat or dry chips.

Pruning

Cypress Boulevard is grown in summer cottages with a decorative purpose, therefore, for an attractive and accurate appearance of its crown, it is necessary to trim.

The basic rules of this procedure are as follows:

• the first haircut is performed only a year after planting a seedling;
• in early spring, before the buds open, they remove all damaged and dried branches;
• tree formation is carried out in spring or autumn, giving the crown the desired shape;
• healthy shoots shorten by no more than ⅓ of their length so as not to weaken the plant too much;
• pruning is done with garden shears or a sharp secateurs so as not to injure the wood too much.

Video: cutting a cypress

Winter preparations

Cypress is relatively resistant to frost and can withstand cold weather up to -20 ° C. But at lower temperatures the tree often freezes, so it is recommended to prepare it for wintering in advance, taking care of shelter for the bush.

Important! In the cold season, it is not recommended to cover the surface of the earth around the cypress with a layer of mulch. This can lead to stagnation of moisture under the snow cover, which will cause rotting of the roots.

To do this, perform the following actions:

• in late autumn, carry out the final watering, moistening the soil around the tree well;
• the branches of the bush are pulled slightly around the trunk with a rope - this will prevent breaking of shoots under gusts of cold wind;
• a young cypress tree under the age of 4 years old is covered outside with non-woven material, fixing it on the crown with a wire or a thick thread - this shelter protects the tree from the cold and burns caused by the bright winter sun;
• in areas with frosts below -30 ° C, the tree is grown in a large pot - for the winter it is brought into the room, and in the summer it is put outside.

Possible diseases and pests

Subject to all the listed recommendations for planting and care, the cypress Boulevard is practically not affected by diseases and pests. But with errors in agricultural technology or growing in the wrong place, the immunity of the tree weakens and the likelihood of infection increases.

Did you know? When ignited, a conifer cone becomes like an incendiary shell. She can shoot up to 50 m.

Such infections and pests can threaten the Boulevard:

1. Root rot. It occurs when moisture stagnates in the soil, and the affected plant begins to wither, stops growing and turns yellow. At the initial stage of the disease, to save the cypress, it is carefully dug out of the ground, all rotted roots are cut off, and then the places of the cuts are treated with fungicide. After that, the tree is transplanted to a new place.
2. Spider mite. The insect feeds on the nutrients contained in the needles. A sign of infection is a thin white cobweb that envelops the entire crown of the cypress. Deprived of nutrients, the needles turn yellow and fall off. To control the tick use acaricides (for example, "Apollo").
3. Shield. These pests are very small, live on the shoots and needles of Boulevard. They suck juice from the tree, leading to yellowing of the shoots and the entire bush. To combat the scale insects use special insect repellents (for example, "Nuprid").

To prevent the occurrence of these problems, it is necessary to carry out such preventive measures:

• observe watering regimen;
• timely fertilizer;
• irrigate the crown in dry and hot weather;
• loosen the soil and remove weeds around the cypress;
• remove densely growing shoots using pruning;
• choose a sunny place for planting a seedling;
• be sure to lay the drainage layer at the bottom of the landing pit.

The use of wood in landscape design

Due to the decorative appearance of the crown, the cypress of this variety is often used to create various compositions containing conifers, shrubs and perennials.

The main features of the application of Boulevard in landscape design:

• looks good as an independently growing tree;
• combined with shrubs having a dense crown of the correct form (boxwood, thuja);
• can be used in composition with carpet perennials (tenacity, stonecrop, saxifrage sod)
• looks good next to brown-red large boulders or as an element of the alpine hills;
• used to create hedges.

Did you know? In ancient times, thin and long pine roots were used to make special dishes - “rhizomes”. Bulk food products (salt, starch) were stored in it.

Cypress Boulevard will be able to cultivate even a beginner gardener on his plot. Using the recommendations on planting and care listed in the article, you can grow a tree with an unusual color of needles in your country house and create various decorative compositions from it.