Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
shw001_gw

Hinoki Cypress Compacta

shw001
11 years ago

Does anyone know the height and width of Hinoki Cypress Compacta (Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Compacta') at 10 years and at full height?

I am seeking to use it in a garden and each nursery and label has a different figure, ranging from 6 feet to 25 feet high.

Thanks

Comments (7)

  • tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
    11 years ago

    It will be 6 feet in 10 years and 25 feet, eventually.

    tj

    Here is a link that might be useful: Compacta

  • shw001
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks. the picture is an absolutely gorgeous specimen.

    Two questions:
    How old do you think a three-foot one is?
    Why are there so many different estimates of size published by different people?

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    if it will be 6 foot in 10 years .. how big is a 3 footer???

    we didnt read what you read ... so who knows..

    the compacta name indicates it will be .. wait for it.. COMPACT.. compared to the plain old regular one..

    which implies.. a reduced annual growth rate ... as compared to the plain old green one.. which is the plant with the first two latin names ...

    the growth rate of Chamaecyparis obtusa SHOULD be greater than the compact version .... make sense ...

    ken

  • Mike Larkin
    11 years ago

    Why are there so many different estimates of size published by different people?
    It will depend on who and where they are publishing the information. Plants may grow differently depending on the location. Some sources are just wrong and provide bad information. Some may report the size at 10 years others at an older age.
    It may be best to look at the ACS website or consult one of the older conifer nursery websites like :

    Here is a link that might be useful: Buchholz

  • shw001
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks everyone. The size terminology of this plant is confusing. there is Dwarf, Compacta, Nana, Gricilis, and "regular" (?). Compacta is not the smallest. The only thing I am fairly certain of is that the regular one is the tallest. So, if Ken knows about the terminology, I'm sure we will all appreciate a little lesson.

    Thanks again.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    11 years ago

    The more I work with these plants, the more I appreciate growing nurseries (and others who publish plant info) that omit references to "mature" size. Rather, I find it a whole lot more meaningful to discuss rate of growth, as that is really the differentiating factor between a dwarf conifer and a full growing species......the species just grows a lot faster :-)

    Hinoki cypress is a common name that is applied to the entire range of selections/cultivars of Chamaecyparis obtusa and that entire range can include plants with a wide variety of rates of growth, forms/shapes, foliage patterns and colors. The cultivar assigned the name of 'Compacta' is a slower growing and more compact form of the species. The other cultivar names listed - 'Nana', 'Gracilis' and all the scores more currently in cultivation - apply to plants which share characteristics unique to that specific name. The size terminology is separate from the cultivar name and could be listed as 'miniature', 'dwarf', 'intermediate' or 'large' but even these only describe a rate of growth, not the mature size.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    what gal said is summed up in the chart at the link ...

    i dont know what else to tell you ..

    you are struggling with everything i struggled with years back ... and i did NOT start with the WWW as a resource ...

    but let me sum up.. by saying they are relatively slow growing .. especially if not full sun ... buy a smaller one.. and watch it grow.. and if in 10 or 20 years.. it finally gets too big.. get rid of it ... or root some new pieces ...

    the name COMPACTA.. assuming it labeled properly .. IMPLIES.. it is slower growing.. compact .. as compared to the regular Cham obtusa ... and thats about all we can surmise.. based on what is known.. again.. presuming it is properly labeled ...

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: intro to conifers