If you’re not the type who loves spending hours with garden shears, you can totally let your cypress do its own thing and just do some light maintenance to keep it from getting leggy. But for those of you who love a good DIY project, the dense foliage of a cypress is like a blank canvas. With a little patience and a steady hand, you can sculpt these trees into just about anything!
Classic Crown Shapes
Cypress trees grow thick, lush needles, which makes them perfect for shaping. The most iconic look is definitely the “column” shape, which is actually how the Mediterranean cypress grows naturally. If you trim back the branches of a young cypress every year, they’ll grow in much denser and stronger. Many gardeners also love using them as a privacy hedge. A straight, clean hedge is pretty easy to maintain with a set of electric hedge trimmers.
Fancy Shapes for the Bold Gardener
If you want to give your yard some extra “wow” factor, you can try pruning your cypress into globes or even “cloud” shapes (pom-poms). While cloud pruning is a bit more forgiving and faster to finish, a perfect sphere usually takes at least two years of patience. Honestly, very few people have an eye steady enough to freehand a perfect globe, so don’t be afraid to use wire frames or templates to help you out!
You can even grow cypress as a tiny bonsai. You can either start from scratch and train it yourself or buy one that’s already been shaped and just keep up with the regular “haircuts” to maintain the look.
When is the Best Time to Prune?
You’ll want to avoid any major “surgeries” during the peak growing season. The best times to prune are either in early spring or late summer. You can even do some trimming in the winter. While columns and hedges usually only need one trim a year, more intricate shapes might need a touch-up twice a year. Of course, if you see a rogue branch sticking out or notice any dead or diseased wood, go ahead and snip those off whenever you see them.
Pro Tips for the Perfect Cut
Safety first! Always wear long sleeves and sturdy gloves when working with cypress because the tree is actually toxic. The sap can cause a nasty skin rash if you have sensitive skin. To make sure your tree stays happy and healthy, keep these rules in mind:
- Use sharp, clean tools to prevent fungal infections.
- Avoid pruning on rainy or freezing days.
- Don’t prune in direct, scorching sunlight, or the cut ends might turn an ugly brown.
- Never cut back into the old, brown wood—it won’t grow back!
- Work from the top down and use templates if you have them.
- Only take off what’s necessary from healthy branches.
- Take it slow; it’s better to make several small cuts than one big mistake.
Quick Tip: To keep that foliage looking lush and vibrant green, make sure to fertilize regularly and give your tree a good soak during dry spells.
