Carolina Sapphire Arizona Cypress

Light Needs

Full Sun

(6+ Hours Direct Sun)

Mature Height

40-50 Feet

Mature Spread

15-20 Feet

Growing Zones

6 to 9

Carolina Sapphire Arizona Cypress is a fast-growing blue-green evergreen with a fine, feathery texture. Cupressus arizonica var. glabra 'Carolina Sapphire' grows in a pyramidal form, often reaching 30 to 40 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide in home landscapes. The aromatic foliage has a silvery cast that holds through winter, and the tree develops reddish brown bark with age. Our landscape designer uses it as a large privacy screen with soft blue-green texture.

This Arizona cypress selection comes from a North American species native to the Southwest and Mexico. It is fast growing, heat tolerant, salt tolerant, and drought tolerant once established, with moderate deer resistance. Carolina Sapphire Arizona Cypress can be grown as a specimen, windbreak, evergreen hedge, or large privacy planting, and its scented cut branches are useful for holiday greenery. 

Carolina Sapphire Arizona Cypress Care

Plant Carolina Sapphire Arizona Cypress in full sun for the densest form and strongest blue-green foliage. It adapts to clay, loam, sand, acidic soil, and alkaline soil when drainage is excellent. Average to dry, well-drained soil is best, and this tree should not be planted where water sits after rain.

Water deeply after planting and continue watering several times per week during the first few months, adjusting for rainfall and soil type. Established trees need water mainly during long dry spells, especially in the first few summers while the root system expands. Fertilize in early spring with a slow-release evergreen fertilizer if growth is pale or sparse. Mulch 2 to 3 inches deep over the root zone to conserve moisture, keeping mulch away from the trunk.

Pruning is usually minimal because Carolina Sapphire Arizona Cypress naturally holds a pyramidal outline. Remove dead, broken, or crowded branches in late winter once the worst cold has passed. Light shearing can tighten a formal hedge, but avoid cutting into old bare wood because cypress may not fill back in evenly.

Carolina Sapphire Arizona Cypress Spacing

Space Carolina Sapphire Arizona Cypress 6 to 10 feet apart for a privacy screen or windbreak, using wider spacing where air movement is important. Allow 15 to 20 feet from buildings, driveways, and large trees when planting it as a specimen. This is not a long-term patio container tree, though young plants can be held temporarily in a large 24-inch or wider pot with drainage until planted in the ground.

At the sunny edge of a Carolina Sapphire Arizona Cypress screen, use bluebeard and blanket flowers, which also appreciate well-drained soil and heat. Barberry can add a lower shrub layer with strong foliage contrast. In larger borders, include switchgrass for upright movement below the evergreen canopy. For a dry, aromatic border near young trees, use rosemary and thyme to fill open foreground areas.

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