Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans Compacta’

Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans compacta’ will add unique texture and form to your garden all year round. It is a fantastic tree. If you’ve got a garden where space is at a premium, a small one of these is a great choice. It has the tactile, fluffy and permanently juvenile foliage of its bigger cousin, Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans’, but only reaches 2 to 3 metres in height over a couple of decades. Even the cones that it occasionally produces are on a small scale. If you’re looking for an alternative to a traditional topiary form, these look great as a pair in pots.

Cryptomeria japonica ‘Elegans compacta’ is a tree that will keep your interest throughout the year, forming as it does a billowing pyramidal silhouette with soft needles that are green in the spring and summer, take on bronze autumnal tints and go almost purple during cold winters, before reverting to green again as the seasons change.

This tree is evergreen and hardy but does best if planted in a sheltered spot, on moist-but-well-drained soil. It can be grown in a pot with good care and husbandry, but it is obviously better if it can be grown in the ground. There is little maintenance needed, simply a removal of any dead or damaged twiglets, and it can be lightly pruned to shape should that be needed.