Italian Cypress Trees

Italian Cypress are very stately trees, often planted on either side of an entrance or in long lines as privacy or division hedges.

They can grow quite tall, over 100 feet, but rarely get over 60 feet in the desert Southwest. They can also be pruned to keep them at a certain height if desired.

Birds like to build their nests in the tree and in doing so, they make the branches flip out, causing the tree to lose it's perfect cylindrical shape. If you can reach the branches, it is a simple task to just push them back in.

Just like other cypress trees, they should receive some water in the winter to avoid freeze damage and stress related problems.

Although this tree is a low water usage tree, you will have fewer insect problems if it is watered on a regular basis.

The Italian Cypress is very susceptible to spider mites and damage can be seen as brown leaves with a dusty web covering. How to identify spider mites is described in the link below.

Insects, Pests & Diseases