Weeping Alaskan cedars, as you can imagine if you’re at all familiar with the climate in their native range, thrive in consistently moist soils where plenty of moisture is present year-round. Winter hardiness of Chamaecyparis nootkatensis But, in garden settings, they tend to top out at around 30 feet in height with a spread equal to half of that. In the wild, weeping Alaskan cedars reach up to a whopping 100 feet in height with a width of approximately 20 to 30 feet after decades of growth. In backyard cultivation, Chamaecyparis nootkatensis has grown quite common, in particular the cultivar known as ‘Pendula’ (more on this later). Native to the northwest region of North America, you’ll find these trees in the wild from Northern California up to Alaska. How big do weeping Alaskan cedar trees grow? The soft, fan-shaped needles of the weeping Alaskan cedar drape from the boughs beautifully. During the growing season, small 1/3 inch brown to burgundy cones appear at the tips of the needles, but primarily on mature plants.Īlso known as the Nootka false-cypress and the yellow cypress, this tree is more closely related to the cypress than it is to cedars, hence the recent genus change I mentioned above. The softly pyramidal shape of this tree, along with its weeping habit, make it an ideal landscape plant. With a blue-green cast, this tree is also sometimes called the weeping blue Alaskan cedar, too. The texture of the flat-needled boughs is soft and wispy. One look at this beautiful tree and its easy to see why so many people adore it. Here, a weeping Alaskan cedar graces a front garden in Buffalo, NY. I’d like to tell you more about the weeping Alaskan cedar in hopes that you’ll fall in love with it, too. Botanically known most commonly as Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (or occasionally by its newer genus, Xanthocyparis), this tree is a winner in every sense of the word. If you ask, I won’t hesitate to tell you the evergreen tree I adore above all others is the weeping Alaskan cedar. Some horticulturists might have trouble choosing a favorite evergreen tree.

Nootka cypress pendula